In London to face Fulham in the Europa League, players from the competition's defending champion, Ukraine's Shakhtar Donetsk, were denied entry into Harrods, the department store owned by Fulham chairman Mohamed al Fayed.

A statement on the Shakhtar Donetsk's web site read: "The players decided to increase the earnings of one of London's reputable shops – Harrods. The players, who have money and are eager to buy a lot, were certain to leave [a] big sum. You may be surprised but the Miners [Shakhtar's nickname] weren't allowed to enter the shop.

"The staff said that the group of customers was too big and suspicious. All of them were wearing similar tracksuits. The players explained this was the soccer team and were not in the habit of taking tuxedos to the training camp to go shopping. But those explanations were fruitless."

Two days after the Harrods incident, Fulham beat Shakhtar Donetsk, 2-1, in the first leg of their round-of-32 series.