1) Cahiers du Football was absolutely not the source of my story -- 100 per cent, 1,000 per cent, 175 million per cent. I have copious amounts of handwritten notes, as well as e-mails and texts, that would confirm this.
2) I have no idea what CdF's modus operandi is. They claim to have made their story up -- right down to the "Dream Football League" logo that appeared on their story, which has also been on e-mails that have been sent to me by the prime source of my story
3) I'm absolutely not the type of journalist to run a story of this magnitude -- which would invite scepticism in any case, never mind when there are claims being made by a French website that they made it up -- on the basis of a single source. And particularly not a source that, by its own admission, is low on credibility. If anything, I'm risk-averse as a journalist. If I was the type to take punts based on what one person had told me, I would have run the Harry Redknapp sacking story on the day of England-Belgium last June (about ten days before it could actually get stood up) and the Kenny Dalglish sacking story two days before it happened. Would I really risk my reputation on something like this? No.
4) I've spoken to the original source again twice today and to several other important figures who are keen to add their input. Still nothing on the record, which is a frustration. But there is more where this came from, which should tell you that, no, this didn't come from some "satirical" French website.
putain!
