FA ‘confirm’ they will look into Jermaine Defoe transfer as Tottenham face serious allegations
Jermaine Defoe left Tottenham Hotspur for Portsmouth back in 2008, a transfer that will reportedly now be looked at by the FA
The FA have confirmed that they will look into the transfer of former Tottenham Hotspur striker Jermaine Defoe, who joined Portsmouth back in 2008, as per The Times.
The outlet investigated the move for two years, claiming that allegations had been made of potentially serious breaches of agent rules.
It is claimed that Defoe, Spurs chairman Daniel Levy, and Harry Redknapp, who was Pompey boss at the time, all dealt with an unlicensed agent during the negotiations. The FA decided at the time that they would take no action against the Lillywhites, but the governing body has now revealed it will be looking into the case.
An FA statement on Wednesday read: We are looking at the case, and as part of that, we will be reviewing the arbitration panel award.
At the arbitration hearing over the deal for the former England international, a panel of three QCs found that Mitchell Thomas, who was said to be an unlicensed agent, was a central figure in the transfer.
He had been named on a list of agents who had been operating in football without a license back in 2008.
The arbitration also claimed that licensed agent Stuart Peters was enlisted to act for Tottenham, although a representation contract, which is required under FA rules, didn’t appear to be in place for him.
The transfer was reported to be in the region of £7.5 million, with Spurs chief Levy reportedly agreeing to pay Peters around £1 million for his role in the deal.
Clubs have previously been docked points for breaching FA agent regulations, with Luton Town receiving a 10-point deduction the very same year after being found guilty of breaking agent rules.
There have been plenty of discussions of point deductions in recent days after the Premier League announced that Everton would be receiving a 10-point docking. The Toffees were found guilty of breaching Financial Fair Play rules, although the Toffees intend to appeal the decision.
