A Leeds fan has claimed he was paid by the club to post supportive messages on social media about beleaguered owner Massimo Cellino.

Whistleblower Scott Gutteridge alleges he received £500 per month for his work with the Facebook group ‘In Massimo We Trust’ in an attempt to persuade disillusioned Elland Road fans that Cellino is not as bad as some say.

Gutteridge says: ‘I was approached because of my IT/website design background by an unnamed member of Leeds United to assist in the creation and running of a group called Cellino In (now known as In Massimo We Trust).

Massimo Cellino has come under pressure and one supporter says he was paid to post support online

‘I was told I would receive a nominal payment depending on activity and contribution. It balanced out at £500 per month. The club felt that a positive influence from a small number of fans could go a long way and sponsoring this group would be worth their time.’

Gutteridge was later dropped from the group for leaking information. He added: ‘I started to realise what was going on behind the scenes. This was nothing more than propaganda with the wrongdoings being covered up by the club using the Facebook group to counter arguments. Leeds is a club rotten to the core.’

A Leeds spokesman said: ‘There is nothing in this. But unfortunately, because of the hysteria surrounding Leeds, groups of fans don’t believe what the club say.’ A number of other Leeds sources insist Gutteridge is telling the truth.

Supporters have been protesting over the club's ownership, including at a match at Elland Road this month

The momentum before Friday’s FIFA presidential election lies with UEFA’s Gianni Infantino as he has picked up votes in both his Bahraini rival Sheik Salman’s strongholds of Asia and Africa.

And on the last leg of his African tour, it was only Infantino who took up FIFA candidate Tokyo Sexwale’s invitation to visit Robben Island, where the South African was imprisoned alongside Nelson Mandela.

UEFA's Gianni Infantino talks with rival Tokyo Sexwale in Cape Town, on the last leg of his Africa tour

Former FA compliance chief Graham Bean has had his charge of cheating the public revenue dropped after a nightmare two years in which his consultancy business, Football Factors, had to be put on hold.

Bean, whose football expertise was regularly used by Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, was given wrong financial advice which led to him mistakenly taking a payment from his own pension fund.

The case was due to be heard at Manchester Crown Court on Monday but did not proceed after the CPS reviewed the case.

Graham Bean, the FA's former compliance chief, has had his charge of cheating the public revenue dropped

The League Managers’ Association took a full-page advertisement in the brochure for Kick It Out’s fundraising dinner, held to champion diversity and anti-discrimination.

Alas, the LMA’s ad featured the managers on the cover of the last 27 issues of their quarterly magazine — none of them black.

English T20 hit for six

The chances of a franchise-based Twenty20 competition in England look dead in the water.

There has been overwhelming support on the ECB working group for a T20 featuring the 18 counties in two divisions, plus a reduction in County Championship cricket from 16 games to 14.

The new format for 2017 is expected to be rubberstamped at an ECB board meeting on March 7.

Lancashire won last year's T20 Blast, but the chances of a franchise-bast competition is dead in the water

The eight quarter-finalists from this season’s domestic T20 Blast plus a ninth team from a play-off will make up the top division for 2017.

The three counties who were represented on the working group — Somerset, Kent and Surrey — all favour 18-county involvement.

Arsenal charge the highest prices in the Premier League to home and away supporters, with the cost of general admission against Barcelona on Tuesday ranging from £64 to £125.

The club will reveal six-monthly financial figures later this week that will show they have bigger cash reserves than any British club.

Arsenal players prepare for Barcelona, but their fans will have to pay the highest prices in England to watch

UK Athletics’ control of the 2017 World Championships was strengthened on Monday with the appointment of Cherry Alexander, UKA’s head of international events, as London 2017 managing director.

This follows the exit of Sally Bolton and directors Martin Stewart and Heather Hancock following a botched coup.

England discard Kevin Pietersen will be on Sky’s roster of pundits for the World Twenty20 in India, working at their Isleworth HQ.

This is a U-turn by Sky, who kept their distance from KP when he fell out with England.