SIR ALEX FERGUSON has tiptoed around his distrust of the Roman Abramovich regime at Chelsea for three years, but yesterday the Manchester United manager was accused of putting the boot in. Ferguson attempted to backtrack last night after learning that comments made at a private dinner had leaked into the public domain, but he vehemently denied claims that he had accused the London club of being “hellbent on ruining football”.

Previously, Ferguson has only hinted at his disapproval of events at Stamford Bridge since Abramovich bought the club in July 2003, questioning Chelsea’s links with other clubs and implying that they had bought players in order to stop United doing so.

This time, though, he expressed serious concern about their recruitment policy, particularly at youth level, with a claim that Chelsea had signed “30 African boys” with little or no prospect of them graduating to the first team.

Speaking at a gala dinner hosted by Eddie Lewis, the former United player, at Turffontein racecourse during his team’s pre-season tour to South Africa, Ferguson was quoted by local media as saying that Chelsea were in danger of ruining the game by stockpiling young players, particularly from Africa. He denied having made the “ruining football” comment, but admitted to having expressed misgivings about Chelsea’s youth recruitment policy, even if he was angry that his remarks were reported by the Johannesburg-based Star newspaper.

“It’s unfortunate that you can’t go to a dinner these days without someone sneakily reporting everything you say,” the United manager said. “I didn’t say that. What I said is that Chelsea have signed 30 players. I made no reference to what effect that has had on football.

“Chelsea have every right to do what they think is right for their football club. We do what’s right for us. I’ve never said what Chelsea do is bad for the game. If it’s good for Chelsea, that’s the important thing. The question is that, if it’s correct that they’re going to sign 30 African boys, how are they going to get a game?”

The accusation is understood to relate to suspicions that Chelsea have lined up and “placed” a number of talented African teenagers at clubs across Europe — such as PSV Eindhoven, with whom they have an informal alliance, and other clubs in Scandinavia and Belgium — where their progress can be monitored while they wait to meet work-permit criteria.

This appears no different to United’s arrangement with clubs such as Royal Antwerp or Arsenal’s relationship with Beveren, but it is the number of players involved that troubles Ferguson. His remarks can be at least partly explained by his resentment over John Obi Mikel, the outstanding Nigeria teenager who reneged on a deal to join United and, after a bitter dispute involving a year-long Fifa investigation, finally signed for Chelsea in May.

United, meanwhile, face Kaizer Chiefs in Pretoria this afternoon in the final match of their tour. A third consecutive victory would secure the Vodacom Challenge trophy.

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