3pm: NOTES ON A SCANDAL.

Byline: BY STEVE ANGLESEY

THE Leeds United soap opera continues to amuse and delight, with news that directors were roped in to delete potentially libellous lines in Ken Bates' programme notes before Saturday's home win against Luton.

They were among Elland Road staff who helped to scribble out the chairman's reference to a means of contacting former board member Melvin Levi, who has informed police over what he claims was an "incitement to violence" when Bates revealed his home address in last week's programme.

Unfortunately, the quality of crossing-out with markers at Leeds is as poor as its crossing and marking - and far from what it was in the Peter Ridsdale era, when a team of expert calligraphers was hired to wield antique fountain pens containing the rarest of squid inks - and the offending remarks were clearly visible in many editions.

The emergency deletions were necessary after waiters had to intervene to stop Levi and Bates exchanging words in an Italian restaurant in the city's Roundhay suburb on Thursday night in a clash described by onlookers as "better than Emmerdale."

Levi then sought an injunction against the programme being sold and Leeds got the markers out after Bates learned he would lose pounds 50,000 if the offending words did not come out.

CAPTION(S):

POOR SUBSITUTE: Emmerdale's Seth