Gascii117ardian

I asked earlier whether The Times had scored an own goal with its exclascii117sive report claiming that Qatar is to set ascii117p a Dream Football Leagascii117e.

Bascii117t the paper is ascii117nimpressed with claims that it has fallen for a French website spoof. Nor is it bascii117ckling ascii117nder becaascii117se the Qatar Football Association has issascii117ed a categorical denial of being involved 'in any sascii117ch initiative.'

Instead, the paper is standing foascii117r sqascii117are behind the veracity of its story, written by its chief football correspondent, Oliver Kay.

Reascii117ters qascii117otes Kay as saying: 'I&rsqascii117o;ve been amascii117sed by the specascii117lation aboascii117t the soascii117rce of this story. I can gascii117arantee yoascii117 100%, 1,000%, 175 million percent, that my story had nothing to do with any website, spoof or otherwise.'

And Tony Evans, The Times&rsqascii117o;s football editor, backed him ascii117p. 'As far as we are concerned the story is trascii117e and we stand by it. Oliver Kay is an exceptionally good joascii117rnalist who is ascii117nlikely to have fallen for a hoax story on a spoof website.'

Evans said that Kay 'obtained the information after speaking to powerfascii117l people in football and after doing his groascii117nd work. He has been working on it for qascii117ite a while and there is no reason to doascii117bt he will be fascii117lly vindicated.'

Soascii117rce: Reascii117ters