Ronaldo's slave claim sparks fury

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Sepp Blatter said earlier in the week that footballers were victims of what he saw as "modern slavery" and the Portuguese winger claimed today that the FIFA president was right.

Blatter, referring to Ronaldo's desire to join Real Madrid, insisted players should be allowed to play where they wanted.

The striker, who has failed to commit himself to United and given mixed messages about Real's obvious interest, backed Blatter's stand but refused to shed any more light on the proposed transfer.

"I agree with the comments of the president of FIFA. What he said is right," he told Portuguese channel TVI. "At the moment there is no agreement with Real , but I do not know where I will begin next season."

The League Managers' Association fear there could be long-term repercussions from Blatter's views.

Chief executive Richard Bevan said: "His remarks are extremely illconsidered. There are no benefits to clubs or players in what he said.

"The transfer system, regulated by FIFA, is the cornerstone of developing talent. We also have the important issue of sanctity of contract. Ignoring the nonsensical comparison of a player on £120,000 a week to a modern slave, it's a very poor choice of words."