Just a Few Hours On

Inter Milan manager Rafael Benitez has denied reports that he has been sacked by the European and Italian champions.  The former Liverpool boss told Spanish radio station Onda Cero on Monday:

"I have not been fired.  I am surprised because I have seen a lot of headlines and I have been phoned by a lot of people asking me if I have been fired, and it is not true at all." 

BBC yesterday.  However, later that day at the Guardian:

Rafael Benítez's unhappy six-month tenure at the European champions, Internazionale, ended tonight when the Spaniard's contract at San Siro was terminated, with the parting of the ways set to be formally confirmed in the next 24 hours.

The Italian club's president, Massimo Moratti, is in the process of negotiating the manager's payoff with the pair's relationship having fractured beyond repair in recent weeks. Benítez claimed Inter's fifth trophy of the year on Saturday when his side won the World Club Cup by defeating the Congolese team TP Mazembe in Abu Dhabi, but the tensions spilled over in his post-match press conference as he effectively served Moratti with an ultimatum to back him in the transfer market next month or sack him.

High rewards yet instant penalties.