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      UK football agent among three arrested as part of major police investigation into alleged FA hearing fraud

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      THREE men including a UK football agent have been arrested as part of an investigation into alleged FA hearing fraud.The trio were collared by the North West Regional Organised Crime unit as part of their ‘Operation Peony’ probe.
      Police have arrested three men, including a UK football agent, as part of an investigation into alleged FA hearing fraudCredit: Alamy
      In a statement confirming the arrests, police said they were ‘in relation to an ongoing investigation into allegations of perverting the course of justice and fraud at an FA Arbitration Hearing in 2015’.
      It has been alleged that phone retailer Sport Mobile, which provided devices for a large number of major figures in British sport, was able to edit bills – and either ‘invent’ or delete calls and texts.
      The probe centres on allegations that an agent’s bills were altered by the addition of a number of ‘fake calls’ before the hearing in which he was in dispute with a leading player.
      Sport Mobile has denied the claims.
      But the police unit announced in January that the probe had uncovered evidence suggesting legal disputes in football and other sports may have been corrupted by the submission of misleading and false documents.
      It is suggested that the sports bodies have been fooled into taking the documentation supplied as accurate when it has been doctored to deceive them.

      Confirming the arrests of the men, who cannot be named, police said: “The men, who were arrested on Tuesday 30th March, were taken to police stations in the North West, Shropshire and Hertfordshire.
      “All three men have since been released under investigation. 
      “The arrests, search and interviews are the latest in a NWROCU-led investigation that has focused on allegations of doctored phone billing being used in legal proceedings.”
      FA executive Mark Bullingham offers ‘heartfelt apology’ to abuse victims and says lessons must be learned More

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      Wembley to host biggest post-Covid crowd of 4,000 fans for FA Cup semi-final between Leicester and Southampton

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      LEICESTER’S clash with Southampton has been selected as the FA Cup semi-final that will have 4,000 spectators.But the crowd at Wembley on April 18 will be restricted to local residents living in the borough of Brent.
      Fans are set to trek up Wembley Way later this monthCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      As many as 4,000 seats could be filled for the clashCredit: REUTERS
      And the decision means the tie between Chelsea and Manchester City the previous evening will be played behind closed doors.
      The FA asked the Government to be allowed to use one of the semi-finals as part of the “pilot” programme ahead of the May 17 date for the return of crowds of up to 10,000.
      That was signed off by the DCMS but Brent Council asked for its residents to be the ones given access on safety grounds as a condition of green-lighting the trial.
      It is likely that health service and local authority employees will be invited to walk through the turnstiles, rather than fans of either side who happen to live in the borough.
      Wembley bosses are hoping to be allowed up to 20,000 fans for the FA Cup Final on May 15, as part of the ramping up efforts ahead of Euro 2020.
      The FA will tell Uefa next week that it will be seeking to allow 45,000 fans – and maybe more – for the four knockout games in the Euros it will be hosting, including both semi-finals and the Final.
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      Leicester reached their first FA Cup semi-final since 1982 with a victory over Manchester United in the quarter-finals.
      Southampton eased past Championship club Bournemouth, winning 3-0.
      Only the Saints have won the cup previously, in 1976, but their pair have lost a combined seven finals between them.
      ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds
      Find out who is playing who in the FA Cup semi-final draw More

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      FA will tell Uefa they want 45,000 fans at Euro 2020 latter stages in boost for stadium return

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      FA CHIEFS will tell Uefa they want Wembley to hold 45,000 fans for the latter stages of Euro 2020.And that capacity could even be increased towards 60,000 if the vaccine roll-out and Covid scenario in the UK continues to go in the right direction.
      Fans could pour back into Wembley for the latter stages of Euro 2020Credit: Getty – Contributor
      Uefa has ordered all 12 potential hosts for the tournament to confirm their preferred crowd numbers by next Wednesday.
      A number of cities, including Dublin, Munich, Bilbao and Rome are thought to be struggling to get the green light from their regional or national governments to commit to fans in the stadium, even though Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin has made that a precondition.
      A final announcement on venues is expected 48 hours after the deadline, on April 9.
      PM Boris Johnson has already confirmed the Government will be happy for the UK to host more games than the seven set for Wembley if Uefa needs help.
      And the possibility of up to two thirds – and maybe more – of Wembley’s full capacity being available for the four knockout games, including both semis and the final, is a further sign of FA confidence.
      Meanwhile, today’s meeting of Uefa’s ruling executive committee will formally disband the “30 per cent maximum” crowd figure announced in October for matches in European competitions.
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      That temporary measure, introduced after the successful return of fans at the Super Cup Final, has remained on the Uefa statute book over the winter and spring but will be updated to take current Covid conditions into account.
      A number of test events are planned across England before the planned reopening of venues on May 17.
      A crowd of 4,000 local residents is set to watch one of next month’s FA Cup semi-finals for one pilot.
      As many as 10,000 will be allowed into matches once the restriction is lifted but a 20,000-strong ‘test’ could be green-lit for the FA Cup final.
      ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds
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      The FA were guilty of five years of failure to protect children in game from paedophiles, independent inquiry finds

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      THE Football Association were guilty of five years of failure to protect children in the game from paedophiles and sexual predators.The independent Sheldon Inquiry into historical child sex abuse in football has found those in charge of the national sport did not think it was important enough to rush through desperately needed regulations to safeguard youngsters.
      The FA have been found guilty of failing to protect children in football from paedophiles and the body was also criticised for failing to ban serial abuser Barry Bennell (pictured)
      Bennell is currently serving 34 years in prison for a string of offencesCredit: Rex Features
      And the FA were also criticised for failing to ban two of the most high-profile and serious abusers, Barry Bennell and Bob Higgins, from working in the sport.
      The report says there was an ‘institutional failure’ by the FA to act quickly enough when they were told they needed to put measures in place in 1995 to help prevent minors being abused.
      It took five long years before bosses finally came up with their first comprehensive protocols, something respected QC Sheldon says was not good enough.
      Sheldon wrote: “I have concluded that, following the summer of 1995….the FA should have engaged more deeply with the issue of child protection and should have acted more quickly to bring in comprehensive measures to safeguard children in the game.
      “The FA acted far too slowly to introduce appropriate and sufficient child protection measures, and to ensure that safeguarding was taken sufficiently seriously by those involved in the game.
      “These are significant institutional failings for which there is no excuse.
      During this period (October 1995 to May 2000, when the FA launched its comprehensive child protection programme), the FA did not do enough to keep children safe.”
      The 710-page report was commissioned by the FA in December 2016 in the wake of the revelations made by former football Andy Woodward about his abuse at the hands of serial paedophile Bennell.

      That started a wave former players coming forward to tell how they also suffered at the hands of abusers at clubs across the country, leading to a series of criminal prosecutions.
      The report covered allegations made between 1970-2005, and there are known to be at least 692 survivors and over 240 suspects identified since then.
      Sheldon found that the FA body would have acted quicker had they been publicly shamed in a ‘catastrophic event’ similar to the sport of swimming when top coach Paul Hickson was convicted of rape.
      He said: “Unlike the sport of swimming whose governing body (the ASA) introduced comprehensive child protection arrangements within a short time after the Hickson conviction, the FA did not consider that football had experienced a ‘catastrophic’ incident of abuse which demanded a swift response.
      “XX explained to me that if the FA had experienced a catastrophic incident like the ASA had with Hickson, then the FA would have acted more quickly.”
      Though the FA came in for heavy criticism, there is no evidence to suggest claims some at the top of the game knew of abuse claims but decided to cover them up.
      ‘APPALLING ABUSE’
      The FA’s knowledge of serial paedophile Bennell, serving 34 years in prison for a string of offences against former players, and ex-Southampton youth coach Higgins was also examined.
      Because of the historical nature of the allegations, no evidence could be found to show the FA definitely knew both were abusing youngsters other than claims of hearsay which could not be proven.
      But it was shown that despite concerns about their behaviour neither Bennell or Higgins, convicted on 29 counts of child sexual abuse, were ever banned from the game.
      Sheldon said: “I very much hope that this Report will be read carefully by all persons involved in administering the game of football today, including the FA and the clubs who were associated with perpetrators of abuse.
      “Understanding and acknowledging the appalling abuse suffered by young players in the period covered by the Review is important for its own sake.
      “Survivors deserve to be listened to, and their suffering deserves to be properly recognised.
      “As well as recognising and facing up to what happened in the past, it is also important that this terrible history is not repeated, and that everything possible is done now to safeguard the current and future generations of young players.
      “I hope that this report will make some contribution towards that.”
      Paedophile Barry Bennell’s victims react after he is found guilty of 43 counts of child sex abuse More

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      Roy Keane should NOT be involved in football for X-rated challenge on Alf Inge Haaland, says ex-FA chief Bernstein

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      ROY KEANE’S continued involvement in football is ‘appalling,’ according to former FA chief David Bernstein.
      The Irishman, never shy of giving his harsh views on Sky Sports, admitted to deliberately harming ex-Manchester City ace Alf-Inge Haaland during the Manchester derby 20 years ago.

      Roy Keane deliberately set out to hurt Alf-Inge HaalandCredit: Fotosports International

      Roy Keane stoops over Alf-Inge Haaland after his horror tackleCredit: Times Newspapers Ltd

      Norwegian ace Haaland, then aged 28, would never play another full 90 minutes again, after being on the end of Keane’s horrific tackle.
      The Manchester United skipper was initially handed a three-match suspension and a measly £5,000 fine.
      But after Keane admitted to the horror challenge being deliberate in his 2002 autobiography, he was slapped with a further five-game ban and £150,000 fine.
      For Bernstein, then chairman of Man City, neither punishment was enough.

      He told The Athletic ahead of this weekend’s Manchester derby: “I’ve never forgotten it. From a personal point of view, that was the worst individual thing I’ve been directly involved in, and the worst I’ve ever seen on the pitch.
      “As a human being, it was an awful thing to see. Roy Keane stood over him and basically said, ‘Take that, you b******.’
      “It was done in cold blood. I have never forgiven Keane for that. I think, frankly, it’s dreadful he’s accepted in football the way he is. After doing something like that, I think it’s absolutely appalling.”
      While Haaland played for Leeds in 1997, he accused hot-head Keane of feigning injury following a coming together between the pair.

      Former Man City chief David Bernstein remains appalled to this day by KeaneCredit: AP:Associated Press

      Keane leaves an FA disciplinary hearingCredit: PA:Press Association
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      And in his book, Keane admitted to taking his revenge four years later, writing: “I’d waited long enough. I f***ing hit him hard. The ball was there (I think).
      “Take that you c***. And don’t ever stand over me sneering about fake injuries.”
      While Keane has had no problems getting work since the incident, winning more trophies with United and Celtic before jobs in coaching and broadcasting, Bernstein can’t bear to watch him.
      The 77-year-old added: “Whenever Keane turns up on television, I switch off. I just won’t watch it. I’m appalled that he’s still involved with football. It’s just not right.
      “Things happen, injuries do happen, but to do it deliberately and admit it the way he did, to sell his book, I think is completely beyond the pale.”
      Haaland’s prodigiously talented son Erling has recently been linked with both Manchester clubs, after taking Europe by storm since signing for Borussia Dortmund in January 2020.

      Alf-Inge’s son Erling is now among Europe’s elite strikersCredit: Getty Images – Getty
      ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds

      Rio Ferdinand recalls Man Utd legend Roy Keane punching Chris Eagles in training More

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      Referee Darren Drysdale facing ban after he’s charged by FA over angry clash with Ipswich’s Alan Judge

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      REF Darren Drysdale faces an FA commission and likely ban – despite making a public apology to Ipswich midfielder Alan Judge.
      Lincolnshire whistler Drysdale, 49, was charged with improper conduct by Wembley disciplinary chiefs less than 24 hours after his angry clash with the Irishman.

      Darren Drysdale is facing a likely FA ban after being charged for clashing with Ipswich Town’s Alan JudgeCredit: © Richard Calver – www.matchdayimages.com

      Drysdale locked heads with Judge and then seemed to square up to him in the latter stages of the Portman Road clash against Northampton.
      The astonishing scenes saw Ipswich boss Paul Lambert demanding an investigation by the EFL and FA.
      SunSport understands that Drysdale’s performance was criticised by players on both sides throughout the game.
      But the referee is said to have flipped and used foul and abusive language when Judge insisted he had been brought down and not dived in a bid to win a spot kick.

      The Ipswich midfielder responded to the episode on Wednesday night and told his club’s website that Drysdale’s reaction did not upset him.
      Judge said: “Referees have a tough job to do and it was heat of the moment stuff that happens in football.
      “The photo makes it look worse than it was and to be honest, the matter was finished with from my end as soon as I walked off the pitch.
      “I wasn’t looking for the referee to apologise; I wasn’t looking for him to be charged. There was never going to be a complaint from me and I made that clear.

      As I said in this 👇. There was no need for an apology. I wasn’t looking for one or looking for any action to be taken. In football as everybody knows stuff happens in the heat of the moment in a game. We all make mistakes and for me that is the end of this https://t.co/ujQsF9lQ4N
      — alan judge (@10judgey) February 17, 2021

      “Like I said, for me – it was finished with straight away.”
      In a statement issued through the ref’s governing body PGMOL, Drysdale said: “I fully understand that it is important for us as referees to maintain our composure throughout the game and always engage with players in a professional manner.
      “I’m sorry that I did not do that and I can only apologise to Alan and Ipswich Town.”
      Aston Villa’s England internationals Tyrone Mings and Jack Grealish suggested the FA should let the issue blow over. 
      Mings Tweeted: “Everyone makes mistakes…..nothing to see here.”
      Grealish added: “Ah come on?! No need to apologise at all! I think it’s brilliant.”
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      But FA beaks had already opened a probe into the incident and Drysdale was charged with a breach of rule E3.
      However, in a twist, the case is being treated as neither “standard” – which would have seen a fixed sanction – nor “non-standard” because of circumstances.
      Instead, a commission will determine the next step if Judge accepts his guilt, as now seems likely, with a short ban of up to three games the anticipated punishment.

      FA rules do not allow a suspension before any hearing but it is expected PGMOL will take him off their officials’ list for this weekend pending the resolution of the case.
      The incident comes with the FA looking to scrap the current “maximum” 10-year ban for violence towards referees and allow life suspensions.
      The FA insists grassroots officials have not been put off by incidents of violence and abuse but is keen to ensure younger referees remain convinced they can progress through to the highest levels of the game.

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      Inside the crazy world of parent-agents demanding their sons are guaranteed minutes – and even new houses

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      A TEENAGER met officials of a Premier League club this season over the offer of a new contract.
      The player’s father was happy for his son to put pen to paper — just as long as they inserted a clause guaranteeing he played a certain number of minutes in each first-team match.

      Kevin De Bruyne is one star doing things differently in negotiations over his new contractCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      You will not be surprised to learn that stunned club chiefs refused the ludicrous demand.
      Welcome to the weird and wacky world of football which, behind the scenes, is more chaotic than it has ever been.
      Many clubs — and fans — will not be sorry to see the potential demise of some agents.
      But equally, the new normal is proving to be even crazier.

      I’m told that it’s not unheard of for parents to demand a new house for themselves if their 16-year-old makes the first team.
      At the top of the game, football is changing beyond all recognition.
      An increasing number of Prem stars are employing their brothers in advisory or managerial roles.
      These include Dele Alli, Trent Alexander- Arnold, Harry Kane, Callum-Hudson Odoi, Marcus Rashford and Danny Welbeck.

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      Mason Greenwood is being represented by his father.
      Raheem Sterling has parted with his long-time agent and his affairs are now being handled by lawyers.
      His City team-mate Kevin De Bruyne has brought in a lawyer to assist in new contract negotiations.
      For intelligent men, such as Sterling and De Bruyne, this could work out without too many problems but for other players it could be a risk.
      But going alone with expert advice has its pitfalls. Despite the criticism they attract, agents do have contacts at other clubs if a player needs to find another team.
      Agents also have knowledge of how payment structures, bonus systems and loyalty payments work at football clubs.

      Mason Greenwood has this week agreed a new Manchester United contractCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      Equally, some dodgy agents have taken advantage and given players poor advice and moved them to an unsuitable club.
      Somewhere, there is a middle ground.
      The best solution is for a young player to be helped by a family member while also working with an agent.
      At the moment, the situation will get worse before it improves.
      ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds

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      Fans could attend FA Cup and Carabao Cup finals at Wembley with FA hoping to have 27k supporters at Euro 2020 games

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      FANS could be allowed in to watch the two domestic cup finals – in a trial to help ensure supporters for Euro 2020.
      The FA is determined to open up some of the Wembley turnstiles for the seven games due to be played in the stadium during the tournament in June and July.

      Scenes of fans spaced out across Wembley Stadium may be welcomed back in the springCredit: Graham Hughes – The Times

      And that could see up to 10,000 supporters in for the April 29 Carabao Cup final between Manchester City and Spurs and the FA Cup final the following month.
      Both events would be staging posts towards the summer, with the FA hoping to be able to fill 30 per cent of Wembley’s 90,000 capacity by the Euros.
      FA chiefs are part of the Government’s Sports Technology Innovation Group, headed by Carphone Warehouse founder David Ross.
      Discussions over the past year have included concepts such as digital Covid passports for spectators, with football bosses signalling their willingness to act as “guinea pigs” for the safe re-opening of the country.

      And even getting reduced numbers in to Wembley in the spring would be a huge staging post in the right direction.
      Expectations of a lifting of Covid restrictions in the coming weeks will make the possibility of reopening turnstiles more realistic, although there is no expectation of fans being back in Prem grounds before next season.
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      The FA is understood to have told Uefa it hopes to be able to allow in around 27,000 – representing 30 per cent of capacity – for the Euros, although Wembley will still be used to hold matches if no supporters are allowed in.

      That would be part of a gradual easing of crowd restrictions at other sporting events, including Test cricket, Wimbledon and summer horse racing events like the Derby.
      Government approval would be required for all such measures but trials for the two finals would also allow sports governing bodies to judge the ease and efficiency of entry regulations which could be rolled out across other events.

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