The Premier League has announced that it is to launch an investigation into claims Crystal Palace received information about the Cardiff City starting XI ahead of the teams’ recent match.
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Palace won 3-0 in South Wales earlier this month, but reports emerged that the Eagles had been informed of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s intended lineup two days before the game.
The South Wales Echo quoted a Cardiff source as saying: “The evidence is heavy. The club has a copy of an SMS message sent which includes the exact team Solskjaer was going to start with.”
The Sun published what it said was the text message in question, saying it had been sent from Palace sporting director Iain Moody’s phone. As well as the Cardiff team, the text reportedly also contained the name of a player who revealed the information, but this was censored by the newspaper for legal reasons.
Moody, who worked at Cardiff until he was sacked in October, strongly denied he had received any information from “anyone who works for Cardiff City,” telling The Sun the claims were “extraordinarily untrue.” Palace co-owner Steve Parish said an unnamed agent read 11 names over the phone to Moody, but only nine of those actually started.
However, the Daily Telegraph reports that Cardiff believe they have evidence that Moody contacted members of their staff before the game in an attempt to secure information and the Welsh club have “compiled a detailed dossier claiming to prove Moody’s involvement.”
The Premier League has issued a statement confirming an official complaint has now been made.
It read: “The Premier League has received a formal complaint from Cardiff City and will now investigate the matter.”
The Press Association reported last week that the Bluebirds had sacked one member of staff and were set to discipline another.