…or so their official site would have you believe!

An elaborate hoax using the alteration of the following URL has been doing the rounds on the forums claiming Jermaine Beckford has signed for Benfica.

Don’t panic! He hasn’t actually signed for them. It’s all down to the URL. Altering the words at the end of it allows you to change it to whatever player, person or thing you like. Using ‘Jermaine Beckford, Leeds’ produces the following

http://www.slbenfica.pt/Informacao/Futebol/Noticias/CompraRedPass.asp?Adepto=Jermaine%20Beckford,%20Leeds

Jermaine Beckford, Leeds prestes a assinar

O Sport Lisboa e Benfica está prestes a assinar contrato com Jermaine Beckford, Leeds. Fontes próximas do processo afirmam que o acordo está para breve e a apresentação pode já ser feita no proximo jogo a realizar no Estádio da Luz.

Os adeptos estão em euforia e ansiosos por verem Jermaine Beckford, Leeds ao serviço do Maior Clube do Mundo.

I think it’s simply a fans feature so they can see their own name on the site and the headline claiming they’ve signed for the Portugese club. Replacing ‘Jermaine Beckford, Leeds’ with ‘The Scratching Shed’ would produce the following.

http://www.slbenfica.pt/Informacao/Futebol/Noticias/CompraRedPass.asp?Adepto=The%20Scratching%20Shed

Fair play to whoever terrified the Leeds United fans. It was quite funny!