wealthy Colombian businessmen to play for Independiente Santa Fe in Bogotá. Mitten's signing-on fee was reputedly £5,000 plus a weekly wage of at least £40. For this, he was given the nickname "The Bogotá Bandit", which later became the title of his autobiography. He played in Colombia for a year, scoring fifteen times in 34 games, and United's form suffered in his absence. At the end of his first year Colombia joined FIFA and became subject to FIFA regulations. As Manchester United still held his registration, Mitten was unable to play for anyone but them and had to return to England. He was, however, offered a contract by Santiago Bernabéu, the manager of Real Madrid, who was in the process of forming the all-conquering team that would feature Alfredo Di Stéfano, Francisco Gento and Héctor Rial. He turned down this offer, and later stated his regret at not being able to be a part of the successful Real side. Return to England Upon his return, Mitten was subject to a ban by The Football Association, who fined him six months' wages and banned him from playing for the same period. He was also ostracised by Busby, who sold him to Fulham for £22,000 in December 1951. Now aged 31, Mitten made 16 appearances and scored six goals in his first season at Craven Cottage, but could not save the club from relegation to the Second Division. The next season, he played 40 times for another six goals, forming a pair with the young Johnny Haynes. During his time at Fulham, he was picked for the London XI in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. International career Mitten made one appearance for England in an unofficial charity match against Scotland in 1946. Management While still a player, Mitten was appointed player-coach of Mansfield Town. Mitten joined the club in February 1956 and remained there for over two years until June 1958. He played 100 league games, scoring 25 league goals. His reign was a success and Mitten's side was praised for their entertaining football. In the 1957–58 season, his side scored 100 goals in League. In his biography, Mitten stated: "The Mansfield job was the best I ever had in football". At Mansfield, he also gave a debut his 16-year-old son, John, who later went on to play for a number of clubs, including Coventry City. In June 1958, Mitten left Mansfield and