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Portsmouth football club are caught up in a row with their former Zimbabwean striker Benjani over a six-figure loan they claim they gave him to stop him going bankrupt.

Benjani, who left for Manchester City in January 2008 and is now on loan at Sunderland, last night challenged Portsmouth to prove he owes them the money. And although the sum involved, just under £150,000, will not touch the sides of the gaping hole in the Fratton Park books, the issue will bring further embarrassment to the club.

According to an email sent by then finance director Tanya Robins to a solicitor acting for the club, on January 10, 2008, Portsmouth paid ‘£173,214.92 directly to Benjani’s legal representative to settle personal bankruptcy proceedings that were due in court at this time’.

The email, also copied to former Pompey chief executive Peter Storrie, continued: ‘We took a loan repayment back on 31/1/2008 of £25,000 which gives the current balance owed of £148,214.92. The player left our employment on 31/1/08 and so we were unable to recover the other instalments. We have tried hard to recover this but have been unable to.’

But a spokesman for Benjani said: “This is an internal matter between Portsmouth and Benjani dating back four years (sic).

“The player disputes their claims of money owed and challenges Portsmouth to provide the documentation to prove their claims.”

In the email, Robins added: ‘We have not been able to get hold of Benjani’s home address from Manchester City as the player wouldn’t put the clearance in place with Man City to release the information to us.’

City were aware of the alleged debt when Benjani joined them and Portsmouth asked for the balance they said they were owed to be deducted from the player’s wages. But City were forbidden by law to do that and, despite their gentle encouragement, Benjani has still not resolved the issue with his former club.

City said last night it was a personal issue for the player and declined to comment. Pompey’s joint administrator Andrew Andronikou was also unavailable for comment. Ironically, the solicitor who sent the email was working for London firm Sherrards – now one of Pompey’s creditors.

They were owed a five-figure sum in February and joined in the taxman’s winding-up order that almost made the club extinct. The administrators’ report shows they are still due £1,305.26. Benjani (inset with ex-Pompey owner Alexandre Gaydamak) joined Pompey for £4.1m from Auxerre in January 2006. But the deal was one of 17 which the Quest inquiry, headed by ex- Metropolitan Police Commissioner Lord Stevens, did not clear after probing two years of Premier League transfers.

The move to take Benjani to City for £3.87m was not smooth, either, and had to be completed five days after the January 2008 transfer window had closed. Storrie revealed Benjani fell asleep at the airport and missed two planes. The player’s adviser did not comment on Portsmouth’s claim that Benjani had been the subject of bankruptcy proceedings. News of the World

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