Carlos Demands Authorities Act On Mikel Saga
Queiroz Demands End To Obi Mikel Saga
Obi Mikel Transfer - Timeline Of Events
29 Apr : Club Confirms Agreement With FC Lyn
12 May: Papers Report Mikel Has Gone AWOL
13 May(AM): Gill: ´We Have Rights To Mikel´
13 May(PM): Club Demands Investigation
United assistant coach Carlos Queiroz has demanded football´s authorities clamp down on the " jungle rules" that he says have been used to " kidnap" John Obi Mikel.
The Reds announced two weeks ago that the highly-rated Nigerian youth international had signed from his Norwegian club FC Lyn Oslo.
United have officially complained to the Premier League, asking them to investigate what Carlos Queiroz described as the " kidnapping" of the player.
John Obi Mikel was in London yesterday with his agents, leading to reports claiming he was there to hold talks with Chelsea, who coveted the talented teenager before he agreed to sign for the Reds.
Mikel appeared on television in an interview with Sky Sports saying that he had been pressured into signing for United.
The midfielder´s comments came as a surprise to everyone at Old Trafford, who, on the evidence of speaking to Mikel, believed he had made the " decision of his life" to join United.
On Friday, Queiroz was furious that a young player should be coerced and shepherded into a U-turn on his agreement to join the club.
" We cannot live with these jungle rules. It is unnacceptable that a young boy of 18 can be almost kidnapped."
Carlos Queiroz on Mikel saga
" We cannot live with these jungle rules," the assistant boss told Century radio. " We cannot accept this and the institutions must stop it.
" It is unnacceptable that a young boy of 18 can be almost kidnapped from the country where he was playing, travel to London and within one day talk on the television with an unhappy face.
" Everybody felt the boy had just made the best decision of his entire life, at least from a professional point of view. Next game he comes on TV and says that he signed the agreement under pressure.
" Everybody understands something happened between these two events. We know what happened - this is not original. This kind of thing has happened before with other players.
" We have an official position now. We have complained to the Premier League and we expect them and Uefa and Fifa to come out with a strong decision.
" Everybody felt he had made the best decision of his entire life. Then he says he signed under pressure. Everybody understands something happened between these two events."
Carlos Queiroz
" We expect that some kind of clarification will happen today. We know nothing about what has happened and who is behind these movements and who must take responsibility for what has happened."
Reds chief executive David Gill conducted an interview with MUTV in which he brandished the agreement between Lyn and United for the transfer of Mikel. Gill claimed United " have the rights to the player", adding that the club had acted properly throughout the negotiations, a point supported by Queiroz.
" The most important thing is that we did everything according to the spirit and the rules, that´s because this is Manchester United," he said.
" We expect the insitutions to make tough decisions against those who do not respect the rules."
Asked if he thought Mikel would eventually be a United player, Carlos responded: " I hope he is. The signs we have had from the outside and with previous decisions regarding players in similar situations are not good.
" We hope and understand that football simply cannot live in such an anarchic environment. But we are still positive."
Report by Ben Hibbs