The English Football Association will be asking for an explanation from Leeds manager David O'Leary with regards to his comments on Monday night about an alleged bet placed on the outcome of the Premiership title.
Following United's goal-less draw with Liverpool at Elland Road, O'Leary was then interviewed live on Sky Sports and asked who he favoured to win the championship.
O'Leary's response was: "I've got £100 on Manchester United, so I better stick with them. I took a bet at the start of the season, so that's who my money's on."
But the 41-year-old Irishman yesterday claimed his comment was a light-hearted aside, saying: "If people can't take jokes. . ."
The onus, however, is on the FA to prove that O'Leary did have a bet.
Spokesman Steve Double said: "We want to investigate the circumstances of this. Our rules on betting are very clear and have been very well publicised in recent times, so no one should be in any doubt. Those involved in football, be it players, managers or officials, must not bet on football matches."
Wimbledon manager Joe Kinnear was the last personality to nearly fall foul of the rule due to his comments following his side's win in the quarter-finals of the Worthington Cup last December.
After a 2-1 victory over Chelsea, Kinnear said: "We are 5-2 now (to win the Cup). We were 66-1 at the start and I think a few of the lads had a few quid on us."
Michael Owen is still waiting to discover whether his season is over after suffering a hamstring injury during match with Leeds. The Liverpool striker has undergone a scan to establish if there is tendon damage amid fears he could be ruled out of the remainder of the campaign.
Chelsea player-coach Gianluca Vialli launched his £1.5 million libel case against AS Roma coach Zdenek Zeman yesterday over allegations of doping.
Vialli, who was represented by his lawyer, took exception to comments made by Zeman in a magazine interview last year when the Czech coach warned about the dangers of certain substances being used in the Serie A and then expressed his surprise at the muscle development of current and former Juventus stars, Alessandro Del Piero and Vialli.
Meanwhile, Henrik Larsson committed himself to Celtic yesterday when he signed a four-year contract at Parkhead, his last major deal before returning home to Sweden.
It had been rumoured that 27-year-old Larsson may opt to leave Scotland, worried about the negative publicity surrounding the game north of the border. Instead he will stay with the club for the rest of his career, at a stroke wrecking the critics' arguments that Scotland cannot attract the big names on a long-term basis.
