Linfield are taking legal action against the Daily Record and former Celt Joe Miller.
According to a statement on their club website the Record published a derogatory article about the club based on a match between Linfield and Aberdeen that involved Miller.
Problem is that Linfield claim that they have never played Aberdeen in their entire history!
Miller’s story gave graphic detail of the problems he encountered during and after the match due to being a former Celtic player and came to the conclusion that it was best for hoops fans to avoid a possible trip to Windsor Park on July 14.
The club statement explained: “What troubles us most of all, however, is that Linfield FC has no record of having played Aberdeen at Windsor Park or elsewhere in the entire decade Mr Miller refers to, whether in a friendly fixture, training game or otherwise.
“In fact, it appears that Linfield have never played against Aberdeen at all throughout our entire history.
“A particularly concerning allegation made by Mr Miller, printed in the Daily Record and broadcast on social media to tens of thousands of views, was that “there were red dots on us for the whole 90 minutes” of this mysterious game.
“This fanciful account seems to suppose that the player and his colleagues were being targeted by multiple firearms, and was provided in the context of suggesting that it would be unsafe for Celtic supporters to visit our stadium, should that tie come to pass in due course.
“Given that Windsor Park was, and is, an almost entirely enclosed stadium, it would have been unlikely that this could have come from outside the ground, had this fixture actually taken place. Given also that neither the then-RUC nor the British Army carried lasers fitted to their weapons as standard, and that in 1995 it would be some years before laser pointers became easily available and affordable to members of the public, one wonders where, exactly, these red dots may have appeared from in this match that didn’t actually happen.
“In light of everything stated above we can only suggest that this account is demonstrably untrue. The Club has now instructed Solicitors to write to Mr Miller and the Daily Record accordingly.
“This is just one of the press stories that have appeared in the last week that is easier to rebut. Our Solicitors have also been put on retainer to investigate any further attacks on the good character of this Club and its supporters. In the meantime, we would only ask that the media, like Linfield FC, concentrates on fixtures that have actually been arranged, and that any reporting of past events is conducted to proper journalistic standards.”
People in football are notorious for wind-ups and it appears that Miller has been ‘at it’ with a colourful description to suit the requirements of the day.
It remains to be seen whether the Record will issue a damage limitation apology or try to tough it out.