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Home  » Sports » Man United, Liverpool reported to EPL

Man United, Liverpool reported to EPL

July 19, 2008 17:06 IST
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Tottenham Hotspur have reported Manchester United and Liverpool to the Premier League over their pursuit of strikers Dimitar Berbatov and Robbie Keane.

Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson said on Friday that he had "good expectations" that Bulgaria international Berbatov would move to Old Trafford before the start of next season.

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has also been quoted regarding his interest in signing Ireland forward Keane.

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy accused Ferguson of "arrogance" and breaching Premier League rules.

"It's a blatant example of sheer arrogance and interference with one of our players," Levy said in a statement on Tottenham's website (www.tottenhamhotspur.com) on Saturday.

"It is also probably one of the worst offences by any manager in the Premier League to date and is unbelievably hypocritical given his recent comments in respect of Cristiano Ronaldo and Real Madrid.

"This comes after a series of events, dating back to last summer, which have shown Manchester United to be in breach of Premier League rules.

"As a result, we have today made an official complaint about the conduct of Manchester United. Benitez made similar comments in respect of Robbie recently and we made an official complaint about the conduct of Liverpool earlier this week.

"The behaviour of both clubs has been disgraceful. We told both clubs very early on that we had no interest in selling Robbie or Dimitar, respectively, and that they should refrain from pursuing the player.

"Our subsequent position has been severely compromised by both clubs making their intentions widely known and indeed making contact with the players and their agents, without the club's permission."

Berbatov and Keane scored 46 goals between them last season and are one of the most prolific partnerships in England.

Levy appeared to be resigned to losing both players with the new season less than a month away, saying both had had their heads turned.

"I have absolutely no wish to sell either player and to date we have not accepted any offer for either. However, when a player's head is turned and their commitment is absent they become a negative influence in a team dressing room in which they were once a positive addition and influence.

"This is the situation we now have on our hands, with both Dimitar and Robbie having made it clear that they wish to leave for Manchester United and Liverpool respectively."

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Source: REUTERS
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