LMA back Ferguson

Alex Ferguson has been offered the support of the League Managers Association over the apparent campaign to undermine his position at Manchester United.

There have been claims that leaked stories – the most recent about a link between Ferguson’s son Jason and the transfer of keeper Tim Howard – and planted questions at United’s recent AGM were all part of a campaign to discredit the Scot.

It has been reported that Irish racing millionaire John Magnier, United’s major shareholder who is locked in a bitter legal dispute with Ferguson over stud fees for racehorse Rock of Gibraltar, is behind the campaign.

Meanwhile, LMA chief executive John Barnwell told the Press Association: “Clearly someone is trying to stir something up.

“This is one of the problems that can arise with a plc. Private companies do not sit comfortably with football clubs as people have a lot of different agendas.

“They have dragged up the old chestnut about connections with his son but we have a very clear code of conduct and managers have a duty to inform the club about any dealings with agents.

“If Sir Alex asks us for any help we shall be only too happy to give it.”

Ferguson believes he is entitled to half the stud fees of Rock of Gibraltar, worth up to £50m (€72m), and in the autumn issued legal proceedings against Magnier, who owns 24% of the club with business partner J P McManus.

The row is swiftly becoming a serious issue for United with their most high-profile employee locking horns with their biggest shareholder.

United’s biggest fear is that the brand will suffer from the adverse publicity and if that begins to happen then the board will surely step in.

The ruse to plant questions at the AGM in November was uncovered by author Michael Crick, who was called in by the group Shareholders United who suspected something was up.

He discovered six people, including two actresses, had been set up to ask embarrassing questions and who had each only obtained small shareholdings a few days before.

The evidence was handed to United chief executive David Gill and Crick said: “He was genuinely shocked that United’s leading shareholder was appearing to be using underhand tactics to settle a personal dispute with the club’s most important employee, Ferguson, and that he was using the club’s AGM as a platform for that.

“It was a bit of a bungled operation. I don’t suppose Magnier will be too unhappy about that because it puts further pressure on Ferguson.”