The director of football for Dundee FC, Paul Marr, was cleared yesterday of assaulting the club's Italian midfielder.

Patrizio Billio, backed by team-mate Marco de Marchi, had claimed that he was head-butted by a man who was with Mr Marr as the players left the club's Dens Park ground after a training session in January.

At Dundee Sheriff Court, Sheriff Alastair Stewart cleared Mr Marr of staging the attack and found the case against Danny Rice, Mr Marr's friend and co-accused, not proven.

Mr Marr, the son of the club's chief executive, was also cleared of stealing property from the flat of Luca Frediani, the former Dundee fitness coach, and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

Mr Billio and Mr de Marchi, who are both involved in a contract dispute stretching back more than a year with the club, alleged Mr Marr had been with Mr Rice when he head-butted Mr Billio, leaving the footballer requiring hospital treatment.

The Italian players also claimed that prior to the assault Mr Marr, in conversation with Mr Rice, had made a gesture with his head towards Mr Billio as if to say ''That's him.''

Sheriff Stewart said that he found the case against Mr Marr and Mr Rice ''unsatisfactory.''

In particular, he dismissed ''unreliable'' evidence given to the court by Mr de Marchi, the former Juventus player.

The sheriff said: ''In my view, in many ways this was an unsatisfactory case and a substantial amount of the evidence was based on gossip and tittle-tattle with little relevant evidence to the charges I had before me.

''I am not concerned with any dispute that Dundee Football Club might have with some of the witnesses. I am only concerned with relevant evidence.''

He said evidence of Mr Marr's involvement in the alleged assault was ''very limited.''

''I found Mr Billio's evidence and positive identification of Rice quite convincing, but Mr de Marchi's evidence was not so convincing.

''The fact that he picked out someone who resembled Mr Rice from the ID parade, along with two other people, was not satisfactory.''

Sheriff Stewart said he believed that it was possible that Mr Marr had taken property from the flat of Mr Frediani in an effort to ''encourage him to leave the property.''

''I am not convinced the club really thought Mr Frediani had left his house. It is possible that Mr Marr was going to the house to encourage Mr Frediani to leave by removing his property, but possibility is not sufficient.

''Even though I have reservations about Mr Marr' s explanations I cannot say that I am satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that he is guilty.''

After the trial, Mr Marr said he hoped to put the matter behind him and begin work on preparing his side for the forthcoming Premier League season. ''I am delighted and relieved that this matter is over and I am now able to get on with my life.''

The two Italian players now face an uncertain future with Dundee, but a spokesman for the club said that he expected them both to appear for pre-season training with the rest of the squad next week.

''The players are still contracted to Dundee Football Club, but today is not the day to be speaking about their future,'' said Niall Scott.

''In light of the evidence heard in court this week, we will be discussing with our lawyers the matter of the complaints made to Fifa against the club by Mr De Marchi and Mr Billio.''

During the trial, Mr Marr's defence team claimed the players had hoped to solve their contact feud with the club by falsely accusing him of involvement in an assault on Mr Billio.

After the not proven verdict, Mr Rice said: ''I got justice and that is all that I wanted.''