Bungs · Yellow Fever Nga Wana Kowhai · Supporters of the Wellington Phoenix

almost 17 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

Bungs

Proud to have attended the first 175 Consecutive "Home" Wellington Phoenix "A League" Games !!

The Ruf, The Ruf, The Ruf is on Fire!!

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almost 17 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

David Conn/The Guardian

Three years on ï¿½ why the FA has yet to break its silence on Panorama
Soho Square waits on tax investigation before revealing findings on transfer probes

Kevin Bond, now Tottenham Hotspur's first-team coach, by walking away from his libel action against the BBC which would have started last week, left unchallenged Panorama's "Football's Dirty Secrets", which in September 2006 broadcast forthright claims of wrongdoing against him and other senior football figures.

Some in football sought to question the programme's undercover methods and accuse it of containing too little substance for an hour-long documentary but it made some inescapably hard accusations. Most substantially, Panorama showed secretly filmed footage of an agent, Peter Harrison, saying Sam Allardyce would do a deal with him if Harrison agreed to pay the then Bolton manager's son, Craig, who was at the time a licensed agent. The programme alleged that Craig was paid on three Bolton deals, the signings of Tal Ben-Haim, Hide Nakata and Ali Al Habsi, with the payments not having been declared on the official forms to the FA. Panorama asked Craig if his father knew of these payments, Craig said emphatically yes, and Panorama directly accused Sam Allardyce of "having been involved in corrupt transfer deals".

Bond, while working as Harry Redknapp's assistant manager at Portsmouth, was recorded by the programme in a telephone discussion with Panorama's undercover reporter, Knut Auf Dem Berge. According to a pre-trial judgment in the libel action, Bond was portrayed "expressing interest in receiving a bung" and Panorama also alleged "there are strong grounds to suspect [Bond] accepted 'bungs' or other corrupt payments" in the past.

The programme straightforwardly accused Frank Arnesen, Chelsea's chief scout, of "tapping up" the Middlesbrough youngster Nathan Porritt by discussing with Harrison, acting as Porritt's agent, the ï¿½150,000 Chelsea might pay Porritt over three years if he joined Chelsea.

None of those people, or anybody else in the programme, has legal proceedings outstanding against the BBC, although they all denied any wrongdoing and Sam Allardyce said days afterwards that the matter was with his lawyers.

Last year the Guardian applied for a copy of the BBC's defence to Bond's libel action but was told by the high court that it was not available because a third party, unnamed, had applied to prevent it being made public. Bond, now working for Redknapp again at Spurs, has not explained why he dropped the claim and he did not reply to our request, via his lawyer David Price, for his reasons.

The melting away of Bond's claim left Panorama's allegations legally uncontested, and that posed a gaping question to the FA about what it had done to investigate the allegations. The Premier League, too, had set Quest investigating all the signings made by England's top 20 clubs between January 1 2004 and January 31 2006. Quest produced reports in December 2006, which highlighted at least 24 irregularities by clubs, and June 2007, which named 17 deals it had not "cleared" ï¿½ although all clubs and their officials, including managers, were expressly said to be beyond suspicion.

Almost three years from Panorama and two since Quest's final report there has, from Soho Square, been only resounding silence. Many have concluded that the FA has failed to follow up properly the evidence which could not have been more publicly broadcast. Not only have charges not been brought but innocent people may have been left dangling by the failure publicly to clear anybody.

The FA, however, says this is untrue and that it has investigated all issues fully. "It is wrong to suggest we have not vigorously pursued the issues raised by Panorama and Quest," an FA spokesman said. "Our consideration of various matters arising from those investigations remains ongoing and our files remain open."

It is understood the FA has felt ready for some months to announce its findings. The cases involving the transfer of a player from overseas ï¿½ which include the Bolton deals highlighted by Panorama and 15 of the Quest deals ï¿½ are believed to have been referred to Fifa, which has responsibility for overseas transfers. As yet there is no news from Fifa about what action it has taken and there are fears that this could be football's equivalent of a kick into the long grass, because the governing body is insufficiently equipped to investigate.

Of the domestic cases which the FA has investigated, some are understood to have disclosed no cause for disciplinary action, particularly where there was only paperwork irregularity, but there are some cases where charges can be expected.

The reason the FA has made no public announcements and held off taking action is understood to be that it is waiting until the conclusion of HM Revenue and Customs' investigation into alleged underpayment of tax from football transfers. That began as a City of London Police investigation the police consistently described as into football "corruption", with dramatic dawn raids on the houses of Redknapp and the agent Willie McKay. Redknapp successfully sued the police for conducting the arrest unlawfully and the judge, Lord Justice Latham, described the case as follows.

"It was suspected that [Harry Redknapp] as manager of [Portsmouth], together with the managing director Peter Storrie, and the club's then owner and chairman Milan Mandaric, may have conspired together to make disguised payments to a player, Amdy Faye, using the agent William McKay to receive payments offshore."

Last month McKay was released from bail by the City of London Police. A spokesman explained: "If somebody has been released from bail it means they are no longer being investigated." McKay was also completely cleared by Quest in November 2007.

This week David Sullivan, the Birmingham City director who, along with the chief executive, Karren Brady, remains on bail ï¿½ as do Storrie, Redknapp and Mandaric, who all deny wrongdoing ï¿½ called for the inquiry to be stopped. Sullivan has consistently described it as a waste of time and money and again all involved have denied any wrongdoing. A spokeswoman for HMRC, however, said the investigation remains ongoing.

When a decision is taken, the FA is expected to make its own findings public, which represents a major test. The governing body is determined to shed its old reputation for old boys' club cosy ineffectualness and to prove that its compliance unit is independent of the professional game on which the FA relies for its income.

The FA is understood to have interviewed Sam Allardyce and Harrison in depth. Craig Allardyce is said not to have co-operated ï¿½ but he was under no duty to do so. He relinquished his agent's licence soon after the Panorama programme, thereby putting himself beyond the FA's jurisdiction.

It is believed that Arnesen, despite being filmed discussing offering money to Porritt if he transferred, will not be charged with any offence by the FA. Although Middlesbrough said at the time they were furious, they did not register an official complaint and that makes it difficult for the FA to pursue a charge. Arnesen is understood not even to have been interviewed.

Approaching three years since the undercover Panorama investigation there are no outstanding legal claims against the programme, for all the sneering from within football, and nothing has been heard from the FA either. The game's governing body, though, is asking for patience, and faith, in its ability to police a transfer system in which, since "bungs" allegations made prime-time BBC1, the fortunes washing around have only multiplied.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2009/jun/24/panorama-fa-bond-allegations  Link to Post - Back to Top

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Proud to have attended the first 175 Consecutive "Home" Wellington Phoenix "A League" Games !!

The Ruf, The Ruf, The Ruf is on Fire!!

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almost 17 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

David Conn/The Guardian
FA defends stance on Panorama transfer investigationsï¿½ FA could still press charges over corruption claims
ï¿½ Consideration of alleged irregularities 'remains ongoing'

The FA could yet bring disciplinary charges against those found guilty of alleged wrongdoing in transfer dealings highlighted by the BBC's Panorama programme of September 2006, and Quest's reports of December 2006 and June 2007.

Following the withdrawal of the libel action against the BBC by Kevin Bond, now Harry Redknapp's first-team coach at Tottenham Hotspur, which was due in the high court last week, Panorama stands legally unchallenged by any of the football men accused in the Football's Dirty Secrets programme.

Yet in nearly three years since Panorama, and two since Quest's final report, the FA has brought no charges, nor has it publicly cleared anyone, leading to accusations that the governing body has failed to investigate thoroughly as it promised at the time.

The FA, however, said this week that that perception is wrong, and it has fully examined all the issues arising from the programme as well as the 17 "uncleared" deals highlighted by Quest in its report into Premier League transfers delivered in June 2007.

"It is wrong to suggest we have not vigorously pursued the issues raised by Panorama and Quest," an FA spokesman said. "Our consideration of various matters arising from those investigations remains ongoing and our files remain open."

It is believed that FA officials have formally interviewed Sam Allardyce, then the Bolton Wanderers manager, who was accused by the programme of "having been involved in corrupt transfer deals", and the agent, Peter Harrison, who was secretly filmed saying he did deals with Allardyce by making payments to Allardyce's son, Craig.

It is understood that all the outstanding or suspect transfer deals involving players coming from overseas clubs have been referred to Fifa. So far, however, there has been no public action or announcement by Fifa, and there are fears over whether the world governing body is sufficiently equipped to investigate and take action if necessary.

The FA is believed to have investigated the deals relating to purely domestic transfers, but to have decided it must wait before announcing its findings, until the conclusion of HM Revenue and Customs' inquiry into transfer dealings. That began with dramatic dawn raids, as part of a City of London police investigation into alleged football "corruption", and although the agent Willie McKay has been released from bail, several people remain under investigation, including Redknapp, Portsmouth's chief executive, Peter Storrie, and former owner Milan Mandaric, and Birmingham City's major shareholder, David Sullivan, and chief executive, Karren Brady. All of those involved in the investigation and those accused by Panorama deny any wrongdoing.

When HMRC ultimately decides whether to charge or not, the FA intends to announce the action it has taken. With Bond having dropped his claim, Panorama faces no outstanding legal actions from any of those against whom it alleged wrongdoing, including Bond, Allardyce and the Chelsea director of youth development, Frank Arnesen, who was filmed allegedly "tapping up" the young Middlesbrough player Nathan Porritt.

It is believed that Arnesen will not be charged with any offence by the FA because although Middlesbrough's chairman, Steve Gibson, said at the time he was furious, Middlesbrough did not register an official complaint.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/jun/23/fa-transfers-panorama-bbc

Proud to have attended the first 175 Consecutive "Home" Wellington Phoenix "A League" Games !!

The Ruf, The Ruf, The Ruf is on Fire!!

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almost 17 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

I was hoping for more info on Forlan and Fergie.

rules for one eh lads?!

E's Flat Ah's Flat Too

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almost 17 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

great post LG.

Profile pic. Should you be interested. Lakhsen, on the right, lost touch with him.
Mohammed, on the left, I'm still in touch with. He's now living in Agadez, Niger. More focused on his animals now as tourism has dried up. Is active with a co-op promoting local goods, leather work and bijouterie, into Europe.
20/5/20

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almost 17 years ago · edited over 13 years ago

Will SAF ever be accountable for some of their efforts? My guess is NO!

Proud to have attended the first 175 Consecutive "Home" Wellington Phoenix "A League" Games !!

The Ruf, The Ruf, The Ruf is on Fire!!

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