Premiership clubs face transfer punishment

PREMIER LEAGUE clubs have been reported for breaching rules in more than 50 transfers.

A report by Lord Stevens has identified clubs breaking or ignoring rules on more than 50 of the 362 transfers investigated.

Premier League chiefs will now decide how many of the 16 clubs reported should face disciplinary action as a result of the breaches.

It is understood that some of the offences are trivial and will be dealt with by means of a warning or advisory letter, but others are potentially serious enough to warrant the club being charged with an offence and being dealt with by a disciplinary commission.

A Premier League statement said: “The Premier League board will now take time to consider this report in full and decide on the appropriate course of action on a case-by-case basis.

“If and when charges are brought the relevant parties and public will be informed as appropriate.”

The potential offences include a failure by clubs to route payments to third parties through the Football Association (FA) – a system which was designed to police the game and prevent illegal payments.

Other transgressions noted by Stevens include a failure of Premier League clubs to enter into correct written agreements with agents, players’ contracts containing potential breaches of FA or Premier League rules, the involvement of unlicensed agents, agents representing more than one party in a single transfer and agents failing to disclose payments to third parties or other agents.

Meanwhile, Stevens and his Quest team have reported “significant progress” in their inquiries into the 17 transfers they have yet to sign off as being clear of illegal payments.

The League statement added: “In regard to the 17 outstanding transfers; Quest, working in conjunction with and full cooperation of the FA, has made significant progress and will continue their investigations reporting as and when they reach a more definitive position on these transactions.”

In January, Quest handed over to the FA the names of eight agents who refused to help their investigations.

Stevens revealed before Christmas that eight agents had refused to co-operate with the inquiry, that three Premier League clubs breached transfer rules because they did not know the correct regulations and that 16 clubs failed to document financial arrangements connected to transfers appropriately.