On itv.com/sport there is an article saying that Rafa will be takin legal action against News Of The World
'Benitez plans to sue tabloid'
February 13 2008
Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez is reportedly preparing to take legal action against The News Of The World.
The paper published a back page story on Sunday February 10, under the headline "It's Your Fault: Rafa In New Blast At Owners", in which they claim Benitez blamed American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett for the club's poor form this season.
Journalist Rob Beasley claimed the story as an exclusive, but the Spaniard insists that he did not speak to him, and instead claims the quotes came from an interview with newspaper El Mundo in his homeland.
Benitez was asked by El Mundo: "The owners were lacking faith in your work a couple of months ago when the team was six points behind the leaders with a game in hand.
"Has this issue influenced the progress of the team?"
The Liverpool Echo reports that a translation of Benitez's response - in the hands of his lawyers - reads thus: "As a coach you could say yes. It would be the perfect excuse, but I don't want to use it.
"What is clear is that at that time we were in a good position and the team was at the point of winning many of the matches that we have drawn and that is what brought us down."
The Echo says Benitez will be suing The News Of The World based on two criteria. Firstly, that he had been libelled by the article, and secondly that Beasley falsely attributed the quotes and took them 'so far out of context that they distorted the whole article'.
Benitez was so incensed by the story that he made reference to it as part of his interviews prior to his side's 0-0 draw with Chelsea at the weekend.
"It is no surprise. Everybody in Liverpool knows that there are two newspapers that you cannot trust. This is one of them.
"He (Beasley) talks of it being an exclusive, but the journalist is lying. I was talking with the Spanish press - he was manipulating everything."
When asked about his relationship with the Gillett and Hicks, he added: "I have contact with them, especially with Mr Hicks, because he (Beasley) was talking about Mr Hicks and I think he is lying.
"Well, clearly he is lying because I did not talk with him."
I particuly like the part where he says "It is no surprise. Everybody in Liverpool knows that there are two newspapers that you cannot trust. This is one of them." He hit the nail right on the head there.
Rafa will take them to the cleaners and they will rue the day they tried making up sh*t to get him in trouble with the owners
I.R.W.T
Logged