Corney denies Marta claims

ATHLETIC managing director Simon Corney has dismissed claims that he hatched an astonishing plan to get the best woman footballer in the world to play for the Boundary Park club.

Mr Corney says the story which emerged, of the Brazilian striker Marta’s gender being disguised from other players was “nonsensical.”

It was alleged Marta, FIFA’s top female player for the last three years, had agreed to take part in the publicity stunt last summer by coming on as a substitute trialist in a pre-season game when her late arrival would have allowed her to stay away from her team-mates in the dressing room.

However, Mr Corney said: “We were approached by a television company wanting to make a documentary about the gap between the men’s and women’s game.

“It was suggested that Marta might join us to take part in a training session and maybe a private practice match, and that would have been the extent of the involvement.

“To suggest that she would be brought in at the last minute minute and disguised to look like a male so that she could play in a pre-season game is nonsensical.”