Mystery Over Spy Mission
Updated: 13:12, Thursday January 25, 2007
Former Manchester United striker Frank Stapleton has told Sky News the big money in the football may force people to spy on top clubs' training.
It follows newspaper reports claiming a plane flew a spy mission over United's training ground.
A light aircraft, packed with high-tech surveillance equipment, has reportedly made a number of passes over the Carrington facilities where Sir Alex Ferguson is plotting another Premiership title bid.
"It seems at first sight to be a bit far fetched," Stapleton said.
"But when you look at it closer, it's so competitive now and there's so much money at stake in the Premier League and Europe.
"It's like almost anybody would go to any lengths to try and find out the secrets of Manchester United."
The Daily Mirror claims footage from the alleged mission was taken from an airfield to a service station near Heathrow airport and "handed to a mystery client".
A silver-coloured metal case was handed over to a man who left in a blacked-out Chrysler, it said.
The paper claims three other similar missions have already been carried out.
An aviation source told the newspaper the plane that allegedly flew over the training ground was a Cessna which had a £100,000 engine "which operates on jet fuel".
"This is very unusual and means that the plane is able to fly much more quietly which obviously does not alert people on the ground so much to its presence," the source added.
"It also has £50,000 worth of specialist equipment on board.
"It has been deliberately modified so it looks like a little sight-seeing pleasure plane but it's equipped for some of the best surveillance operations in Britain."
The Daily Mirror claims the plane took off from Egginton airfield in Derbyshire last Wednesday morning.
The paper says the firm that carried out the flight is a respected aerial photographic agency called British Geographical.
BG owner David Goddard told the paper: "We never discuss who our clients are. We always fly under strict Civil Aviation Authority guidelines and always comply fully with local air traffic control."