Frederico Varandas, president of Sporting Clube de Portugal, dismissed as "the audio of an idiot" a recording circulating online that purports to explain a rift inside the club's dressing room, allegedly centred on forward Luis Suárez and midfielder Pedro Gonçalves, known as Pote.
Varandas compared the rumour to claiming he had gone to dinner with Angelina Jolie and Cindy Crawford and then had to choose between them, only to later reveal he had turned down both. He said an alleged stag party involving the players had never taken place.
He said that with time still left before the transfer window closes, he expected more stories to surface, including claims that Suárez had "stolen" a teammate's girlfriend.
Varandas defends Suárez's future
Despite the rumours, Varandas said Suárez would remain a Sporting player, calling him an exemplary professional who wants very much to stay at the club, even if that disappoints many people.
Asked about a possible exit for the Colombian forward, Varandas was blunt. He said there was no proposal for Suárez and that no one stood above the club. If Suárez had been named in a squad for a match, he said, it was because the player had been professional enough to honour the shirt.
Palhinha's likely move to Benfica
Varandas also addressed the probable transfer of midfielder João Palhinha to Benfica, one of Sporting's biggest rivals. He said Sporting had tried to sign the player, but Palhinha wanted to stay at Tottenham Hotspur, and that Bayern Munich had not accepted the conditions on offer. Given the fee involved and Palhinha's age, 31, Varandas said a move for Sporting had been impossible.
Palhinha is a Portugal international midfielder who previously played for Sporting before moving on to Fulham and then Bayern Munich.
More on Varandas
Rui Borges is Sporting's head coach.
Other transfer talk
Varandas separately denied reports linking Barcelona with an interest in centre-back Gonçalo Inácio, who had been left out of Sporting's 3-1 match against Alverca. Asked about the speculation, he said he knew nothing about it, joking that it would only be true if Barcelona president Joan Laporta had lost his phone number.
Inácio is a Portugal international centre-back who has established himself as a regular for the club.
Two signings in the pipeline
Varandas confirmed that two new players were close to arriving at Sporting: goalkeeper Kaique, from Brazilian club Palmeiras, who has previously played in Portugal, and 17-year-old left-back Zekri. He said Kaique's transfer was currently being negotiated.
