Carlos Queiroz says comments attributed to him in the English press criticising the club's fans were falsely translated. Various newspapers and websites ran quotes from Queiroz from an interview conducted in Portuguese with newspaper O'Jogo.
Queiroz was asked about United's defeat to Blackburn last Saturday after fans questioned the team's tactics. He was quoted as saying: "People have been crying out for us to use a 4-4-2 formation and we played with that system for the first time and lost.
"We played what the public wanted and lost. This is why in football stupidity and imagination have no limits."
Queiroz told Utd.com: "The comments attributed to me in the Press on Tuesday are not an accurate reflection of my view of the fans, or of what I said.
"We have the best fans in football. Their loyalty, passion, support and respect for the team and the game are testament to this.
"I am only sorry that what I said was misinterpreted. I regret the misunderstanding that has occurred from the inaccurate translation but also the way it has been taken out of context from the interview as a whole.
"I can only think that this misinterpretation is to try and create factions between the club and its supporters.
"The fans of Manchester United deserve more than this blatant attempt to divide the club. Their wonderful support at the Benfica game demonstrates that this won't work."
Clearly, the correct English translation of "Por isso é que o futebol é um jogo em que a imaginação e, muitas vezes, a estupidez, não têm limites" is something completely different!
The translation was supplied by the most respected English-speaking freelance football writer in Portugal, Victor Vargo, who has provided hundreds of Lisbon-based pieces to the entire UK press for many years without any query or controversy. So, carlos, are you saying he's incompetent? And if so, would you like to see the case argued in court? We wonder if someone has explained to Mr Vargo the delights of the English libel lottery jackpot system....he might fancy the pension fund therein.