The Guardian:
United have asked Fifa to investigate the transfer tug-of-war that began with Mikel signing a contract with United then publicly declaring that he had changed his mind and wanted to move to Chelsea, having received death threats and been assigned a bodyguard at his Norwegian club, Lyn Oslo. Ferguson said yesterday that he was confident Fifa would find in their favour.
"I know Fifa are spending a lot of time speaking to all the people who have been involved, including the [Norwegian] police, and they need to as it has to be a thorough investigation," said Ferguson. "The fact of the matter is that Mikel is a Manchester United player. The deal was struck with Lyn and the contracts were signed. There is no question in our mind that we have done everything in the right manner."
Fifa yesterday ordered Mikel to return to Lyn Oslo, which he had failed to do after representing Nigeria in the Under-20 World Youth Championship. The ruling did not deal directly with the Chelsea-United dispute but will encourage Old Trafford as it implies that Mikel was a Lyn player when the club sold him to United.