Fifa threatens Leeds with ban on Viduka

Leeds have been warned by Fifa, football's world governing body, that they may be fined or face other sanctions if Mark Viduka plays against Manchester United this weekend.

The club say that their Australian striker's hamstring injury is the reason he did not join his national squad on Sunday for last night's friendly against Venezuela in Caracas. Viduka's personal circumstances have also been cited as he only recently returned to Elland Road after spending three weeks back home with his father, who has been seriously ill.

Leeds asked the Australian Soccer Association last week to let Viduka withdraw from the squad. The ASA declined the request and said it might ask Fifa to enforce the five-day rule, which states that players must be released 48 hours before friendlies or risk a five-day ban on playing for their clubs. Such a ban would make Viduka ineligible to play at Old Trafford on Saturday.

The ASA held a meeting in the early hours of yesterday to decide whether to ask Fifa to enforce the five-day rule in his case. The meeting was inconclusive and a second was arranged, due for the early hours of this morning.

Fifa made its stance clear yesterday. "We expect the clubs to follow these rules," a spokesman said, adding that Fifa and the FA had both advised Leeds of the rule. "We have contacted Leeds and they fully understand Fifa's position," an FA spokesman said.

Steve Bruce, Birmingham's manager, said yesterday that allowing Viduka and Leeds to go unpunished would be unfair on other clubs. Bruce was forced to allow Stan Lazaridis to join up with the Socceroos this week despite Birmingham facing two important upcoming games within four days, at Aston Villa on Sunday and an FA Cup replay against Sunderland next Wednesday.

"I just feel that sometimes the so-called bigger clubs are able to get away with not letting their players play internationals if it suits them," Bruce said. "Stan may not be as big a name or as important to Australia as Viduka or [Harry] Kewell but it seems clubs like ours that are perceived as smaller or less glamorous get treated differently.

"It's been one rule for one, another rule for others. That's why I'm very interested to see if Australia take any action over this whole issue." He added that clubs have no choice but to release players for international duty, even if they are injured. "The country in question has to have their medical people look at them or be satisfied at the evidence they're given as to why they can't play."

It has been reported that if Viduka is banned he could turn his back on the Socceroos. His representative, Chris Page, said yesterday: "Internal talks are still ongoing between Mark, Leeds and the ASA. A decision has not yet been reached."

Meanwhile yesterday, Andreas Dracopoulos, a Greek shipping tycoon and former major stakeholder in Leeds, sold 6.5m shares in the club. He raised just £200,000 from the sale, which leaves him with a 2.2 per cent holding. Leeds have made it clear that there is no chance of shareholder value from any likely buyout to save the club. Dracopoulos seems simply to be jumping before Leeds plc sinks.