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Greenbank
It has emerged that due to a paperwork cover-up, Man.Utd could well be about to lose the Premier League title they won 8 seasons ago.
The problem began with the signing of Bulgarian striker, Dimitar Berbatov.
Berbatov was signed by Man.Utd from Tottenham Hotspur at the end of the summer transfer window, on September 1st 2008. However, it now appears that the club initially failed to register Berbatov with the Premier League and he was therefore ineligible to play for Man.Utd in that competition.
The oversight went unnoticed for a full SEVEN weeks until an eagle-eyed club official spotted the error and corrected it immediately.
This put the Premier League in a difficult situation as it meant that Utd had been racking up league points for weeks that technically they should not have been awarded. However, the head of the Premier League registrations department, Paolo Ladyfirs, decided it would be easier to keep quiet about the mix-up and say nothing.
Ladyfirs explains, "I knew that there would be big repercussions if I came forward with the information. The title race would have been significantly altered and it would have left a big black mark against one of England's leading clubs, ruining their worldwide image. This was something the Premier League would have been keen to avoid at all costs - plus, if I'm honest, I'm actually a Man.Utd fan myself, so I decided to say nothing.
"However, this has been eating away at me for years and I feel it's only right that people now know the truth about the catastrophic, paperwork mix-up. Plus, since the arrival of Moyes, Van Gaal and especially Mourinho, I don't feel as loyal to Man.Utd as I once did."
The shocking revelations now throw huge doubt over the outcome of the 2008-09 season. During that 7 week period, Utd managed to get 3 wins and a draw - with Berbatov playing in all of those matches. That would automatically wipe out 10 points from their final tally, with the Premier League likely to deduct further points on top for the irregularity.
Man.Utd finished the season with 90 points, but the points deduction could demote them to 4th or even 5th place. More importantly however, this would leave their fierce rivals, Liverpool, with their first Premier League title - as they came 2nd that season with 86 points.
It would also mean that historically, the 2 great sides from the North-West of England would be tied once again, with 19 league titles apiece.
A verdict from the Premier League is expected by noon tomorrow...