Football: pounds 300,000 BUNG

PETER RIDSDALE was offered a pounds 300,000 bung by an Italian agent who wanted to gatecrash obbie Keane's pounds 7million transfer from Leeds.

Keane left Leeds and joined Tottenham Hotspur in a beat-the- deadline deal on August 31, 2002.

During the last few days of the transfer window Ridsdale, then the chairman of Leeds United, visited Turin for discussions about midfielder Olivier Dacourt proposed move to Juventus.

That deal fell through. Neither Dacourt nor his agent had anything to do with the Keane bung proposal.

It was during a meeting at Juventus's club offices on August 29 that the agent took Ridsdale to one side and made his illegal proposal.

A Sunday Mirror enquiry has revealed that Ridsdale (below) rejected the offer and immediately reported the approach to his colleagues on the Leeds board.

Sunday Mirror Sport has seen the minutes of the the plc board meeting that took place in London on Thursday September 5, 2002.

Under the topic of any other business these state: "Peter Ridsdale informed the board that during a visit to Juventus FC in Italy he had been made an offer by an agent to receive pounds 300,000 personally in return for approving a pounds 600,000 invoice in respect of assistance with Robbie Keane's transfer to Tottenham Hotspur.

"Peter had informed the agent that neither he, nor the club, do business in such a manner and declined the offer." There is no suggestion that Keane's agents, Sfx, were in any way involved in, or knew about, the proposition made to Ridsdale or that Keane had any knowledge of the offer. The Italian agent was acting completely independently.

Ridsdale, who is now deputy chairman of Cardiff City, said last night: "I can confirm that an approach was made to me. I told my director colleague who was on the trip with me immediately and called our financial director in England to make him aware of the approach.

"I also made it clear to the agent that we did not do business like that and never would do."

The Sunday Mirror enquiry comes on the back of Mike Newell's allegations that bungs are widespread in football. The Luton Town manager is scheduled to give evidence tomorrow to the FA about the bungs culture that he believes undermines the professional game.

The alleged proposal to Ridsdale is even more astonishing given that the Italian agent had absolutely nothing to do with Keane's imminent move to White Hart Lane. He did not represent the Republic of Ireland international, Tottenham or Leeds. He was simply trying to use the deal as a vehicle to line his own pockets - and Ridsdale's.

It was at this time that Ridsdale, the increasingly beleaguered Leeds supremo, was trying to sell key players to reduce his club's debt level.

Rio Ferdinand had left Leeds for Manchester United for pounds 30m earlier that summer and Keane, fearing he would be overlooked by new manager Terry Venables, decided he wanted to move on too.

David O'Leary, Venables's predecessor, had identified Dacourt as one of the players he was ready to unload to raise funds. Six months earlier the French star had been on the brink of a pounds 15m move to Lazio.

He refused to join the Rome club and declared his preference to sign for Juventus. In the wake of O'Leary's sacking in July 2002, Dacourt became disillusioned and insisted he wanted to move on.

That's why Ridsdale was in Turin hoping that Edgar Davids's potential departure from the Italian giants would prompt them to recruit Dacourt.

Davids stayed and the Dacourt deal died.

Copyright 2006 MGN LTD
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.