ROME (AFP) - Veteran Portuguese winger Luis Figo is under fire from animal rights groups in Italy after apparently deliberately killing a black cat, Ansa said on Saturday.

Banners lambasting the Inter Milan player were hung up near the club's training ground overnight from Friday to Saturday.

One said: "Figo, you've killed a black cat, the whole world is disgusted with you."

Another added: "Figo, shame for Inter, justice for the cat."

According to the Friday edition of the Libero newspaper, Figo deliberately killed a black cat that lived near the training ground with his car, believing it to be bringing bad luck to his team.

Figo denied killing the cat in a statement released on Inter's website on Saturday.

"It's is completely untrue. I want them to apologise otherwise I will be obliged to take legal action," he said.

Inter claimed that Figo was "gravely offended on a human level" by the false accusation.