The Daily Mail and columnist Martin Samuel are being sued by the football agent who brought Carlos Tevez to West Ham in 2006 over an article in February questioning his professional ability.
Kia Joorbchian claims no apology or retraction was offered by the paper after he submitted a letter of complaint the day after publication, the Press Gazette reports.
It's alleged that columnist Samuel made no attempt to contact the agent before publication of the article, which claimed bad advice from Joorabchian resulted in £23m in fines and compensation for West Ham over the loan signing of Argentinian striker Tevez in 2006.
The club became embroiled in a transfer saga following the signings of Tevez and Javier Mascherano amid claims of acting improperly and withholding documentation.
The agent is suing for unlimited libel damages to compensate substantial damage to his reputation and is seeking an injunction against any further allegations.