Portsmouth boss arrested in corruption probe

Nov 28, 2007 - 10:29 PM By Chris Greenwood Special to PA SportsTicker

LONDON (Ticker) - Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp was one of five men arrested on Wednesday by detectives investigating corruption in English soccer.

The club's chief executive, Peter Storrie, was also arrested during the series of raids across the United Kingdom, a spokesman said.

Leicester City chairman Milan Mandaric, Rangers midfielder Amdy Faye and football agent Willie McKay were also arrested, according to multiple reports.

City of London Police interviewed the men after arresting them on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud and false accounting.

Up to 60 officers were involved in searches at eight addresses at locations across the UK including Redknapp's luxury home in Poole, Dorset.

The raids were the most dramatic development yet in an ongoing inquiry by fraud detectives to root out corruption in the national game.

Last year the Football Association brought in former Metropolitan Police commissioner Lord Stevens and his company, Quest, to carry out a separate inquiry into suspect transfers.

City of London Police would only confirm the ages of the arrested men 69, 60, 55, 48 and 30.

Detectives are believed to be focusing on Faye's transfers from Auxerre to Portsmouth in August 2003 and Portsmouth to Newcastle United in January 2005.

Mandaric was Portsmouth chairman at the time of his arrival to and departure from the south coast club. McKay is believed to have been his agent.

Redknapp was Portsmouth manager when Faye arrived in 2003. The player has since signed for Charlton and joined Rangers on a season-long loan in August.

"Portsmouth Football Club can confirm that chief executive Peter Storrie and manager Harry Redknapp have today been asked to help police with their inquiries concerning a matter dating back to 2003," a Portsmouth spokesman said.

"This was prior to the new owner taking control of the club at the beginning of 2006. The club is fully supportive of Peter and Harry who are co-operating fully with City of London Police in this ongoing inquiry. Both are playing major roles in the continued success of Portsmouth Football Club."

Both Rangers and Leicester declined to comment.

"Five men have been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud and false accounting as part of an ongoing investigation into football corruption," a City of London Police spokeswoman said.

Last year Redknapp was questioned by the Football Association over claims he illegally approached a player.

He was secretly filmed as part of a BBC documentary but dismissed the allegations as "farcical".

In July, police searched offices at Newcastle United, Portsmouth and Rangers as well as two homes.

A 28-year-old - widely rumored to be Tottenham defender Pascal Chimbonda - was questioned in September.

Redknapp spoke to reporters as he returned to his home on Wednesday evening.

"We all helped the police with their enquiries, 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 enquiries."

Redknapp confirmed that he had been arrested and said: "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."

Speaking outside the police station, Paul Martin, the solicitor representing Redknapp and Storrie, had stressed the pair were co-operating with detectives.

"They have been assisting the police with enquiries," he said. "The enquiries 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."