Indie:
Wayne Rooney's gambling debts have threatened a dispute that goes right to the heart of the England team after it emerged yesterday that he could face a legal battle with a business associate of Michael Owen who has been blamed for allowing the striker to run up huge losses.
The disclosure that the Manchester United forward owes £700,000 to Stephen Smith, who manages Owen's property portfolio, has been queried by sources close to the striker although what is not in doubt is that the 20-year-old has run up daunting debts betting with Smith. Rooney's advisers are now attempting to establish how much money their client owes Smith and there have already been meetings between lawyers from both sides.
After yesterday's victory over Arsenal, Rooney was asked whether gambling debts had ever affected his performances. He said: "Look at them. You can answer that yourself."
The relationship between Owen and Rooney, who will lead England's attack in Germany next summer, is at the centre of the dispute and although they are understood not to have fallen out over the debts, there is disquiet at the way in which Rooney has been treated by his more senior colleague. Owen, a keen racehorse breeder, introduced Smith to his England team-mates - he has become the team's unofficial bookmaker - which has infuriated those closest to Rooney.
Despite his importance to the team, Rooney remains one of the youngest members of a squad who is known for being especially generous with the part of his £60,000-a-week salary that is not invested for his future. While betting is a popular pastime for the England squad, there is alarm at how easily Rooney was allowed to spend thousands of pounds betting on horses, greyhounds and football matches in which he was not involved.
There are also doubts over whether Smith was licensed to take bets, although he has retrospectively applied for one. Sir Alex Ferguson and United officials have been made aware of the situation and Ferguson dismissed the reports as "absolute rubbish".
"We have a media who want to examine every part of his life. We had it with George Best, Paul Gascoigne and David Beckham - they will search for something for headlines."
The Times:
There have long been grave reservations about the gambling habits of the England squad and they will be heightened after fresh revelations yesterday. Rooney was not known to be a big punter, but one Sunday newspaper disclosed that the Manchester United striker, 20, had lost £700,000 betting on horse racing, greyhounds and football matches in which he was not involved.
That sum — vast even by the standards of Premiership footballers — was lost in only five months up to February. Rooney, who recently signed a £5 million book deal and earns about £60,000 a week at Old Trafford, is believed to have kept his debts secret from his advisers until he was pursued for the money in recent weeks.
If the sums involved were not troubling enough, the money is owed to a company, Goldchip Ltd, set up by Stephen Smith, a director of Owen Promotions and a business associate of the Newcastle United forward. Rooney is refusing to pay and his advisers, Proactive, have called in lawyers to see how they can extract their client from his debts.
Sources close to Rooney have tried to blame Owen for introducing the United forward to Goldchip, although no other players involved, including John Terry, Frank Lampard and Rio Ferdinand, are said to have any complaints about their dealings with the private company set up so that the footballers could bet discreetly rather than use high-street bookmakers notorious for their leaks.
Owen's representatives, SFX, declined to comment, while a spokesman for McKay Law, which represents Smith, said that Smith had not acted illegally or inappropriately and that Owen had "no connection or involvement in the running" of Goldchip Ltd. Smith was only granted his bookmaker's licence in the past fortnight but a statement from his solicitors claimed that he had been acting legitimately as a middle man before that.
"Mr Stephen Smith has been properly authorised to receive and negotiate bets as an agent to a third-party bookmaker, who is the holder of a bookmaker's permit, which was first granted in 1996," the statement read. "Mr Smith now has his own licence, which was recently granted without objection by Leeds Magistrates Court.
"At no point has Mr Smith acted illegally or inappropriately. Goldchip Ltd is wholly owned and operated by Stephen Smith, who is the company's sole director and shareholder. Mr Michael Owen has at no stage had any connection or involvement in the running of this company."
Fergie:
"It is pathetic.
"We have had this with George Best, we had it with Paul Gascoigne and we had it with David Beckham.
"We know Wayne Rooney. It is rubbish and we shall dismiss it the best we can."
Mourinho:
"I know the stories of last season when one or two players were caught in the bookmakers.
"I spoke with them and tried to understand what was going on.
"If someone gets a salary of £1,000-a-month and bets £600, it is a drama. It is something I do not like a lot.
"When it is about fun, then no problem. But it is not my culture and I am not in love with betting or horses. To bet money I have had to work hard to get? For me? No way."
You can always rely on the Sun:
Wayne Rooney spent £60,000 on a necklace for Coleen McLoughlin — as it emerged he ran up £700,000 gambling debts in FIVE months.
The Man Utd star treated fiancée Coleen to the Tiffany jewellery in time for the Aintree races last week.
PFA's Mick McGuire:
'If these claims are true, then it would be a concern to us. Notwithstanding his salary levels, it would be a concern if any member of our organisation accrued a debt of this size.
'I know Wayne well and know he is excellent support structures around him, both in terms of his advisers and Manchester United as a club.
'But we will be in touch with his advisers early in the week to see if there is any truth in what has been reported and if there is anything we can do to help.'
If you are interested from an England point of view, here is FA director of communications Adrian Bevington:
'The FA would like to make it clear we are unaware of any problems in the England team dressing room due to issues surrounding gambling or anything else come to that.
'Under Sven the England team have enjoyed a fantastic spirit within the camp, a fact that is regularly made by the players publicly.
'This spirit has ensured qualification to three consecutive tournaments.
'However, on being made aware of these allegations by the Sunday Mirror we believe England head coach Sven-Goran Eriksson will speak to the players allegedly involved to clarify the facts.
'It's important the fans know everyone connected to the FA and the England team are determined to do all they can to achieve success in Germany this summer.'