The Sunday Mirror:
A sensational plot to spike a soccer star's food with drugs can be revealed today by the Sunday Mirror.
Leeds United's £5million defender Michael Duberry was the intended victim of a plan to deliberately wreck his career.
A former Leeds executive has revealed a plan to dope the 29-year-old with cocaine, ecstasy and banned steroids so he would fail a drugs test.
The aim was to engineer the one-time England international's sacking because the Championship club could no longer afford to pay his £24,000-a-week salary.
Another plan was to end the career of his fellow top wage earner, Gary Kelly, 30, by hiring hitmen to break his legs.
And a bizarre plot was hatched to drug opponents Coventry City and their high-profile manager, former Leeds boss Peter Reid, by lacing a pre-match banquet with ecstasy.
The plots followed the £22million takeover of Leeds by a Yorkshire-based consortium in March last year. To re-finance the debt-ridden club, the new owners wanted to sell the ground and slash the £15million wage bill.
Former Leeds executive Chris Middleton claims the plot was hatched between him and senior director Simon Morris - part of the consortium that had taken over the club. Morris denies being involved in any plan to nobble Duberry and Kelly claiming Middleton was a "rogue employee" who was sacked for gross misconduct.
Three witnesses to the extraordinary plan have given testimonies to the Sunday Mirror corroborating the events. And yesterday operations manager Middleton - now ashamed of his part in the plot - admitted his role in an exclusive interview.
Three witnesses to the extraordinary plan have given testimonies to the Sunday Mirror corroborating the events. And yesterday operations manager Middleton - now ashamed of his part in the plot - admitted his role in an exclusive interview.
Middleton claimed they planned to sprinkle powdered drugs disguised as Parmesan cheese on Duberry's pasta dish. He says that he and Morris - a 27-year-old property millionaire and life-long Leeds fan - also considered dissolving banned steroids in a sports protein drink aimed at the former Chelsea defender.
Middleton claims the idea arose from a chat the men had about reducing the wage bill at the crisis-hit club in March last year.
"We went on to talk about the wage contract and conditions. I said, 'Who's going to take Gary Kelly on a transfer?' Morris said, 'We'll probably just get his legs broke and then get the insurance money'. Then Duberry was mentioned. I said, 'What are you going to do with Duberry?' He said, 'Wolves have shown an interest in him. I said, 'Wolves are not going to take Duberry. They must know how bad he is'. He then said, 'Well we could get him drugged'. I'd heard this before because a businessman pal had said they were going to get Duberry drugged and cancel his contract."
Middleton also told of a plan to get Kelly off the payroll by breaking his legs and cashing in his lucrative insurance policy.
Middleton said: "Then Morris said, 'What if we get him beaten up, I'm mean seriously beaten up'. I had no answer. I conveniently forgot about it. I wanted no part in it. The boss was desperate. No-one wanted to buy the club's main assets."