Robbie Fowler last night dismissed as "utter fabrication" weekend press claims that he is being blackmailed by people threatening to tell the world they have seen him using cocaine.
The Liverpool striker, in a statement issued through the club, said: "As a result of being the butt of rumours, innuendo and gossip, I now find myself having to categorically deny that I have ever taken any illegal substances."
A report in the Sunday Mirror claimed Fowler had received blackmail letters at his home and that he had handed them to club officials. But Fowler insisted: "The story was a complete and utter fabrication."
Liverpool manager Roy Evans has backed his striker, saying: "We totally support the player in his denial of these very serious accusations. Our players undergo regular and stringent testing in conjunction with the FA and the Sports Council."
Manchester United's memorial match for the Munich air crash is set to be shelved until the start of next season. The match was scheduled for next Tuesday, but Sunday's FA Cup draw with Barnsley means Alex Ferguson's side face a replay at Oakwell the following night.
The match was also to have given Eric Cantona the chance to say goodbye to the United supporters he left behind when he retired last summer, and to raise funds for the survivors and dependants of those who died in the air disaster 40 years ago.
But Cantona, who planned to bring an all-star European side to Old Trafford for the match, flies out at the end of the month to Mexico for three months on location acting in the film Mooky in which he plays the part of a professional boxer.
Chelsea season-ticket holders had another rude awakening yesterday when the renewal forms for 1998-99 arrived on the doormat revealing increases of up to 47 per cent. Seats in the Matthew Harding Stand, for example, will cost £525, an increase of £170 on this season. The most expensive ticket will cost a staggering £1,250, confirming Chelsea as the dearest place to watch football in England.
Inter Milan last night confirmed that Marco Branca had completed a £1.5 million move to Middlesbrough. The Serie A club revealed that Boro had agreed a two-and-a-half year deal with Branca worth £2.3 million to the 33-year-old striker. Branca joins former Inter team-mate Gianluca Festa at the Riverside Stadium.
Brazilian midfielder Juninho is still hoping to play in this year's World Cup finals despite suffering a broken league in a Spanish League match two weeks ago. Juninho, injured by a controversial tackle playing for Atletico Madrid against Celta Vigo said yesterday that there was still "a possibility" he could recover in time. The 24-year-old former Middlesbrough playmaker said doctors had told him he will be able to put weight on the leg after March 5th. "I'm hoping that I will be able to play in the final weeks of the Spanish League season," he said.
