Bosses at the Staples Center in Los Angeles have fired back at a statement issued by Morrissey's publicists, which suggested the venue would be meat-free for the singer's gig there on 1 March (13).

The former The Smiths star has requested that officials at all venues he performs at consider pulling burgers, hot dogs and other meat products from sale for the night, and it appeared the Staples Center managers had agreed to close their MCDonald's outlets and cease selling flesh - something they refused to do for another famous vegetarian, Sir Paul MCCartney.

But it now seems Morrissey's representatives misinterpreted a correspondence from venue bosses, who now insist only the backstage area will be meat-free on 1 March (13).

The officials released a statement to news outlets on Tuesday (19Feb13), making it clear that meat-loving fans would not have to go veggie for the night at Morrissey's gig.

The statement reads: "As we have done in the past, we are happy to create a menu with a greater variety of vegetarian items for our guests who prefer these types of options. We respect Morrissey's lifestyle and his concern for the wishes of so many of his fans and are happy that we are able to honor his requests in this manner.

"As Staples Center has previously coordinated on behalf of artists who have played the building, including Sir Paul MCCartney, all backstage catering will be 100 per cent meatless throughout the evening."

Morrissey plans to resume his North American tour on 26 February (13) after cancelling a string of dates to recover from a bleeding ulcer.