Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez could be about to take legal action against a British newspaper for reporting that he blamed the club's owners for its failure to challenge for the Premier League title.
Sunday paper The News Of The World reported last week that Benitez blamed the efforts of Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr. to speak to Juergen Klinsmann about becoming the club's new coach for Liverpool's poor performances.
But Benitez denies the accusation and the paper's apparent assertion that he had spoken with its reporter before it ran the story on Feb. 10 under the headline "It's Your Fault: Rafa In New Blast At Owners."
The Spanish coach has appointed lawyer Richard Green, who on Wednesday sent a letter to the paper and its reporter to inform them of the intended proceedings.
Benitez said that the paper misrepresented an interview he did the previous day with Spanish daily El Mundo.
Benitez said the question from El Mundo, translated into English, was: "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?"
His reply was allegedly: "As a coach, you could say yes. It would be the perfect excuse, but I don't want to use it."
Benitez had already spoken about his anger toward the paper and the story before Sunday's 0-0 league draw at Chelsea, which left his club 19 points behind leader Arsenal.
"Everybody in Liverpool knows that there are two newspapers that you cannot trust," Benitez said. "This is one of them.
"He (the reporter) talks of it being an exclusive, but the journalist is lying. I was talking with the Spanish press. He was manipulating everything."
Sunday paper The News Of The World reported last week that Benitez blamed the efforts of Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr. to speak to Juergen Klinsmann about becoming the club's new coach for Liverpool's poor performances.
But Benitez denies the accusation and the paper's apparent assertion that he had spoken with its reporter before it ran the story on Feb. 10 under the headline "It's Your Fault: Rafa In New Blast At Owners."
The Spanish coach has appointed lawyer Richard Green, who on Wednesday sent a letter to the paper and its reporter to inform them of the intended proceedings.
Benitez said that the paper misrepresented an interview he did the previous day with Spanish daily El Mundo.
Benitez said the question from El Mundo, translated into English, was: "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?"
His reply was allegedly: "As a coach, you could say yes. It would be the perfect excuse, but I don't want to use it."
Benitez had already spoken about his anger toward the paper and the story before Sunday's 0-0 league draw at Chelsea, which left his club 19 points behind leader Arsenal.
"Everybody in Liverpool knows that there are two newspapers that you cannot trust," Benitez said. "This is one of them.
"He (the reporter) talks of it being an exclusive, but the journalist is lying. I was talking with the Spanish press. He was manipulating everything."
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