{"id":298445,"date":"2023-11-23T08:24:40","date_gmt":"2023-11-23T08:24:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/allmysportsnews.com\/?p=298445"},"modified":"2023-11-23T08:24:40","modified_gmt":"2023-11-23T08:24:40","slug":"everything-we-know-about-tottenham-investigation-as-club-risk-points-deduction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/allmysportsnews.com\/soccer\/everything-we-know-about-tottenham-investigation-as-club-risk-points-deduction\/","title":{"rendered":"Everything we know about Tottenham investigation as club risk points deduction"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Jermain Defoe’s transfer from Tottenham to Portsmouth is under investigation by the FA for a breach of agent rules. The fiasco leaves the parties involved vulnerable to a range of possible punishments, including a hefty points deduction, but what else do we know about exactly what Spurs could be facing?<\/p>\n

Pompey forked out \u00a37.5million – a significant fee at the time – to lure Defoe from Tottenham back in 2008. The striker is believed to have agreed a huge boost in wages from his stint in north London, although he returned to White Hart Lane after only one season on the south coast.<\/p>\n

Tottenham, club chairman Daniel Levy, Portsmouth and their former manager, Harry Redknapp, are all said to have dealt with an unlicensed agent during transfer negotiations.<\/p>\n

The individual in question, Mitchell Thomas, has previously been named by the FA in a list of agents who had been operating in football without a license to, and The Times allege that he was a ‘central figure’ in Defoe’s move to Pompey.<\/p>\n

Don’t miss… <\/strong> Arsenal have four transfer options to partner Declan Rice as trio near exit<\/strong><\/p>\n

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An arbitration panel which included Cherie Booth QC, wife of former prime minister Tony Blair, heard that Levy allegedly used Stuart Peters to assist with the deal. Unlike Thomas, Peters was a licensed agent at the time, but the FA are yet to see evidence of a representation contract, which forms a key part of their regulations.<\/p>\n

The FA took no action at the time, but the matter is now ‘under review’. Tottenham have refused to comment, while Portsmouth point out that the transfer came under a long-gone ownership regime.<\/p>\n

Reports indicate that the matter is being treated ‘seriously’ by the FA, and ‘huge sanctions’ could be imposed on the parties involved. A transfer ban, a points deduction or relegation are all theoretically on the table.<\/p>\n