There’s a lovely story developing over at Craven Cottage, with right-back John Pantsil claiming that he was thrown a ten grand bonus for stopping Ronaldo in their recent home win over United.

In an interview with Ghanaian newspaper – 90 Minutes, Pantsil talks up his defensive performance on the day and states he was personally rewarded for sticking to his task with Ronaldo…

“The coach confided in me that he believed in my capabilities and so I should go into the game and prevent Ronaldo from causing any havoc if he’s positioned on the left….Ronaldo couldn’t score, we won the match and my coach gave me £10,000 for a good job done”….

Pantsil has been prominent on our radars for a number of reasons this season. On a positive note, he has proved a sound budget purchase across the fantasy games thanks to Fulham’s stubborn defensive qualities. On the flip-side, he’s stepped out of line on a few occasions – notably when he dived theatrically at the Britannia stadium following a challenge from Fuller. Fulham boss Hodgson forced an official apology from Pantsil on that occasion.

Now Fulham and Hodgson have been embarrassed by Pantsil again, who, in claiming such a bonus payment, has put the club under the microscope by the FA. Bonus payments must be written into player contracts, so such an incentive for stopping an opposing player would be frowned upon to say the least.

It’s all allegations at this stage and Pantsil’s words could have easily be lost in translation but, if a word of this rings true, something tells me that we won’t be seeing Pantsil listed as a Fulham player come August.