SOCCER: The Leeds United chairman Peter Ridsdale is to be questioned by the Football Association today about the £18 million transfer of Rio Ferdinand from West Ham United to Elland Road.
Graham Bean, the FA's compliance officer who is responsible for investigating any alleged financial irregularities within the game, is to quiz Ridsdale over the £1.5 million that Leeds paid to the Norwegian agent Rune Hauge for his role in Ferdinand's transfer in November, 2000.
There was widespread concern within football after it was revealed last month that Hauge was involved in the Ferdinand transfer. The Norwegian agent was banned by FIFA in December 1995 for giving the then Arsenal manager George Graham £425,000 after the transfer of two players to the club.
Following revelations of Hauge's involvement in the transfer deal, an internal inquiry by the Elland Road club cleared Ridsdale of any wrongdoing and declared that no financial irregularities had taken place.
Bean, popularly known as the FA's 'bung-buster', will also be talking to a number of other people within football about the Ferdinand transfer and is keen to establish that no wrongdoing had taken place, although the FA will not reveal any of the names who will actually be spoken to as part of the wider investigation.
Following news that Leeds had paid £1.5 million to Hauge, it was also revealed that the former West Ham manager Harry Redknapp received £300,000 for his role in the transfer of Ferdinand to Leeds. Redknapp said the money was a gift from his chairman Terry Brown, rewarding him for his management of the club. Redknapp is now the manager at Portsmouth.
According to reports, Hauge initially only asked for a five per cent commission for arranging the Ferdinand transfer but this was later increased to 10 per cent.
He was also involved in Eirik Bakke's transfer to Leeds from Sogndal in 1999 and Bean will be asking Ridsdale for further details over this particular move. Leeds also agreed to pay a further £1 million to another agent involved in the Ferdinand deal, Pina Zehavi.
Ridsdale has denied any irregularities, claiming that he was not aware of how much both football agents would receive for the Ferdinand deal until it was close to completion. Redknapp and Ridsdale were unavailable for comment yesterday but Ridsdale said last month: "I had no idea of the fee structure payable to agents until the final stages.
"Even though Ian Silvester, a director of the football club, was involved in correspondence with Rune Hauge, at no time was I informed of his demand for five per cent. After the transfer had been agreed with West Ham, Hauge made his demands."
Ridsdale, who in 2001 became the highest paid director in English football with a salary of £600,000, is carrying out a charm offensive, meeting supporters' groups to reassure them over his running of the club and the sale of key figures such as the defender Jonathan Woodgate to Newcastle United.
The club is expected to appoint a new chief executive within three weeks in a move that will reduce Ridsdale's day-to-day control. Bean is also looking at transfers that took place at Aston Villa under the management of John Gregory. During that time Villa paid £6 million to Dinamo Zagreb for the Croatian international Bosko Balaban who did not start a Premiership match for Villa.
Meanwhile, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson will not shut him up. Ferguson has claimed Arsenal are getting too cocky and warned they could be in for a shock.
"I don't know if it's being arrogant or not, I just say what I believe," Wenger said. "Do people want me to say we cannot win the title when I know we can. I speak the truth as I see it, so why lie?"
Roy Keane, who injured a hamstring in the victory over Leeds on Wednesday night, hopes to be back to face Liverpool on April 5th at Old Trafford.
