JOE Ledley and his family have been left stunned by the vitriolic reaction from Cardiff City fans to his impending move to Celtic.
Message boards and social networking sites have been bombarded by angry Bluebirds supporters hitting out at the Welsh international’s decision to go to the Glasgow giants.
Even Ledley’s personal Facebook page has been targeted, with the midfielder accused of disloyalty and derided for choosing to play in the Scottish Premier League rather than the English Premiership.
There has also been anger expressed about the consequences of the 23-year-old’s choice which has cost Cardiff £3m in compensation that would have been due had he transferred to another club in the English pyramid system.
A source close to Ledley said: “Joe didn’t expect every single Cardiff fan to wish him well but some of the stuff that’s been said is way below the belt.
“He has given Cardiff great service over six seasons and thought he would have got a bit more respect from some of these people.
“Instead he’s hurt and stunned by some of the false accusations and general abuse flying around, and so are his family. Who wouldn’t be?”
Ledley was expected to complete his move yesterday in time to fly out with his new club on their pre-season tour of America on Monday.
The contract is believed to be 80 per cent completed, but a few details remain unresolved.
He was playing it cool yesterday, giving little away.
“It’s not a done deal yet. Obviously I’ve got a lot to think about,” he said.
“I just came up for a look around but I’ve been very impressed. Will I be back? We’ll see.”
The Bluebirds meanwhile have taken their quest to claw compensation from the deal to FIFA, asking for football’s governing body to provide a definitive ruling on whether any payment is due.
However precedent suggests their appeals will prove futile with numerous similar claims having been dismissed in the past.
FIFA brought into Ledley wrangle: pages 42&43
