Staff and players arrested in corruption

There were 5 apparently high profile football people arrested today. As it Stands Portsmouth's Harry Redknapp and his chief executive Peter Storrie, Charltons Andy Faye who is on loan to Rangers and football agent Willie McKay. All we know is that nobody has been formally charged and this is not in relation to the Lord Stevens inquiry. Also no word has been made on the futre of those contarcted to clubs ( though I imagine Faye won't last to long) what I do know is that Faye is the problem here and it has everything to do with his move from Newcastle to Portsmouth for £2million.

I think this is just Willie McKay dragging everyone else into his dodgey dealings.

Harry Redknapp and Peter Storie are being supported by Portsmouth who have given both their full backing.

In all probability this is about the Amdy Faye transfer when he was signed on a trial period by Pompey and his name was miss-qouted as being Andy Henry, a moment that both Redknapp and Storie admitted to making a mistake on, and then later signed by Pompey perminately.

Willie McKay seems to be involved in almost every dodgey deal that happens and he citainly is going to come out of this with his reputation tarnished. With any luck this will be the end of his career as a Football agent.

If we can be sure of one thing from this then it is that Harry Redknapp will no be offered the England job now.

What was the crime here?

-HECK!

Another man that was arrested was Milan Mandric the ex pompey chairman so I think we can be in no doubt that this was about a transfer to pompey and this is mots probably the Andy Faye deal. Also when you consider the last police raids were at Newcastle ( Faye used to play there), Portsmouth ( Faye used to play there) and Rangers ( Faye was about to play there) speaks volumes.

Heck the whole thing is rather complicated as the police will not give specifics as nobody has been formally charged and the inquries are ongoing all they will say is the case releates to consiparacy to defraud and false accounting which are pretty serious charges I think the fraud alone carries up to 5 years in jail.

Interesting. I have to imagine that soccer over there is a huge business. Bound to be corruption, but it's a real black eye when it comes to light.

-HECK!

Even if they are all guilty as sin, they still have a long way to go to live up to Italy's level of corruption

True but Italy's corruption had to start on a small scale as well.

A statement from the lawyer representing Redknapp and Storie said last night that they were not the subjects of the police inquirey but someone else entirely. Redknapp has given a statement to SkySports today. This is the story and the statement from www.SkySports.com:


Harry Redknapp has confirmed he was arrested by police, but says it was only to assist in inquiries and that "it doesn't directly concern me".

The Portsmouth manager was one of the men arrested on wednesday as part of an ongoing investigation into corruption in football, but he says his arrest was simply because police needed to be in the police station to speak to him.

"We all helped the police with their inquiries, but it doesn't directly concern me - it's other people involved," he said.

"I've been answering questions to help the police. I am not directly concerned with their inquiries.

"They have to arrest you to talk to you, for you to be in the police station.

"I think that's the end of it. It didn't directly concern me."

Redknapp also confirmed that Milan Mandaric and Peter Storrie were arrested.

Redknapp and Storrie's solicitor, Paul Martin, reiterated Redknapp's comments.

"They have been assisting the police with their inquiries," he said.

"The inquiries do not relate to either of those individuals. They relate to entirely different individuals.

"They are ongoing investigations in relation to those other individuals, and for that reason they are unable to comment further, and there is nothing that they can discuss."