EPL club Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson yesterday "told an aide to ban" AP writer Rob Harris "after he asked a question" about ManU MF Ryan Giggs, according to Simon Haydon of the AP. Ferguson was speaking at a new conference ahead of Saturday's Barcelona-ManU UEFA Champions League Final when Harris "asked him a question about Giggs, who was named in the British parliament on Monday as the soccer star at the center of a high-profile privacy case." A judge "granted an injunction preventing media from publishing allegations that the player had an affair with reality television contestant Imogen Thomas, but Giggs' name spread all over Twitter and other websites." Harris at the news conference asked Ferguson "about the importance" of Giggs to the team. Sky News "later broadcast Ferguson's whispered comments to a club media officer." Ferguson said, "The guy that asked the question about Giggsy ... at the press conference. ... Is he coming on Friday?" He then added, "Ban him on Friday." Haydon noted it was "unclear which event on Friday Ferguson was referring to, although he is due to hold a news conference on the eve of Saturday's game" (AP, 5/24). A ManU spokesperson noted that Friday's press conference is organized by UEFA and the club "has no jurisdiction to ban Harris." The spokesperson: "I don't think we can ban him." The BBC's John Sinnott noted AP VP & Managing Editor for Sports & Entertainment Lou Ferrara "was also was confident that Harris would be able to continue reporting the build-up to Saturday's showpiece event" (BBC.co.uk, 5/24).
TAKING ON TWITTER: In N.Y., Mullany & Uribarri noted Giggs "got a temporary injunction preventing The U.K. Sun from exposing his long-term fling" with Thomas, but "thousands of Twitter users … flouted the gag order and mentioned the married Manchester United star's name or commented on his alleged philandering." Giggs' identity as the soccer player in question was confirmed when U.K. MP John Hemming "used his parliamentary privileges to out Giggs in the House of Commons." Giggs "can't touch Hemming," but he is "reportedly suing Twitter and its users for breaking the court order based on Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights." Giggs' legal action "may mark the first time Twitter and its users have been sued" (NYDAILYNEWS.com, 5/24).
