Wilnis in rage over wife-swap whispers

Ipswich's preparations for their biggest match in almost 20 years have been thrown into turmoil after one of their stars was forced to deny that some of his colleagues have been playing away - with their teammates' wives.

Twenty-four hours before Ipswich take on Inter Milan at Portman Road in a UEFA Cup third round-tie, the club's Dutch full-back Fabian Wilnis was so upset by the effect on team morale that he hit out at the scandal-mongers.

The Suffolk town has been buzzing with speculation about which players might have been involved and, when top scorer Marcus Stewart broke his jaw in a training-ground accident on Sunday, some fans jumped to conclusions.

But Wilnis rounded on the snipers, saying: 'There have been a lot of rumours flying around about team-mates sleeping with other players' wives and that people have been arguing and fighting off the pitch. But I can say categorically that it's all bull.'

Ipswich, who finished a surprise fifth last season on their return to the Premier League, have struggled this term and are just one point from the foot of the table, having won only one of their 13 games. They have battled through two rounds of the UEFA Cup despite being held to a draw in both home legs.

Wilnis, 31, added on his personal website: 'I understand that rumours, gossip and backstabbing seem to be a problem when your team is struggling but it's not what we need. Now is the time when we need everyone pulling together and focusing on the important job of getting out of our current situation.'