EXCLUSIVE: BBC Bung storm

 

Beeb bung names revealed

 

By Rob Beasley

 

THE News of the World can reveal the football clubs, managers and staff targeted in the TV bung row tearing soccer apart.

 

High-profile staff at Bolton, Portsmouth and Middlesbrough have had letters from the BBC's Panorama programme telling them they have been suckered into an elaborate sting aimed at exposing the bung culture in English football.

 

Among the BBC's targets are Pompey manager Harry Redknapp, ex-player Kevin Bond, now at Newcastle, and Craig Allardyce, son of Bolton boss Sam.

 

Others involved are soccer agent Peter Harrison, Sven Goran Eriksson's manager Athole Still and England star Stewart Downing's agent Ian Elliott.

 

Undercover

 

They were among a long list of soccer personalities introduced to a German businessman called Knut Aufdemberge.

 

He claimed to represent a mega-rich American tycoon, Paul Silverman, who wanted to launch a new, money-rich sports agency in the UK called Dynamic Soccer.

 

What the football men did not know was that the two "businessmen" were really undercover BBC investigators.

 

The pair secretly recorded meetings and conversations over a six-month period.

 

They tried to persuade some of their targets to offer huge sums of money to Premiership managers illegally in a bid to involve them financially in the new agency.

 

All the BBC targets vigorously deny any wrong-doing.

 

They insist they refused to offer or accept bribes.

 

Harrison even sent an e-mail to Aufdemberge last April threatening to report him.

 

He then wrote to the FA two weeks ago, warning them that two mysterious businessmen were attempting to bribe Premiership managers.

 

But before that, Harrison helped set up a meeting between Redknapp, Bond and Aufdemberge at Portsmouth's training complex.

 

We contacted both Harrison and Redknapp last night and both refused to comment. The Portsmouth manager has made it known that he has contacted his lawyers to defend his reputation.

 

One man who did go on the record was Ian Elliott, who insisted he had done nothing wrong.

 

Buy

 

He explained: "I agreed to a meeting because I was told these people wanted to buy my company, Elliott Sports Management, for ??1.2million. It all seemed too good to be true.

 

"The meeting did not last long, about 20 minutes I think.

 

"Afterwards I told my accountant and my lawyer that things just didn't add up.

 

"And I must stress that the subject of paying managers or players was never raised by me or by them."

 

Bolton boss Sam Allardyce is privately furious that BBC bosses tried to take advantage of his son.

 

Craig Allardyce quit being a sports agent last month amid concerns he could be compromising his father's position in the game.

 

The BBC sting began last November when Aufdemberge first contacted Harrison.

 

The pair had a number of meetings and dinners to discuss the project. Aufdemberge claimed Silverman wanted to form a "super" agency in England.

 

His plan was to unite a number of top English agents who would work together to take on the game's biggest names.

 

Dynamic Soccer claimed they would pay managers cash bungs of around ??200,000 to get involved in their company.

 

But the News of the World understands that all the BBC's targets refused, insisting the plot would breach FA rules.

 

Harrison claims he was told he alone could earn a staggering ??1.8m if he could help to launch the agency successfully.

 

The agent was so keen to cash in he even wrote a detailed business plan for Silverman to put into operation and also recommended a number of agents who might be interested.

 

Corruption

 

He suggested Ian Elliott, Craig Allardyce and Athole Still.

 

A BBC insider said: "All the agents fell for the story.

 

"They had no idea the company was not for real or that the two individuals were in fact reporters.

 

"The tactics were to persuade them to offer Premiership managers large sums of money to get involved in the company. It was hoped it would uncover widespread corruption.

 

"Now there is a big legal row over what Panorama can or cannot screen."

 

FA chiefs have vowed to investigate, providing the BBC shows them its evidence.

 

The programme is due to be screened later this month ??? providing it gets the green light from lawyers.

i heard that alot of alligations couldn't be proven sufficiently to broadcast....

That was very bad! It was like watching the BWFC show!!!!

 

Something very dodgy going on behind the scenes at BWFC?

 

From what Craig said if this has been going on fat phil won't be happy!

Bit of a hatchet job.

 

Said atthe end that 18 current and past Prem managers were mentioned. The only one that they made public was Sam.

 

Why was that?

 

Not sure....

 

Lot's of ******ing out of every other clubs names. This one's going to rumble on for months. Is it just me or was Craig Allardyce talking about farming our best youth players out to other clubs?

If anyone should be worried its Harry Nobend Redknapp. There is nowt there for Sam to worry about other than twatting his son for shooting his mouth off and trying to act like Billy Big Balls. Craig was talking himself up so he could get in there, Sam is in the clear if thats all they have!!

Oh Dear! Somehow i believe thats the beginning of of our plunge out of thetop two divisions!

Who was Oscar Perez agent?

From what Craig said if this has been going on fat phil won't be happy!

 

fat phil who didn't want to sell jay jay?

What a load of old tosh, where was the actual evidence, I saw Gartside being a bit tricky and trying to get a shed load of money for a player no where did it show that that big of business was wrong. BSA son being a bit of a stupid show off nowt more. Nothing direct from BSA or proof he had done wrong. So Harry Redknapp admitted to liking Todd...he didn't say he wanted to go behind Blackburns back nor did the talk with Bond really indicate anything factual. What I did see was a lot of Agents looking very iffy and in fact it was the agents that had more bad evidence against them than anything but again it was only words no hard facts...perhaps they will come out in the next few days but again it could have been down to bravado and showing off. OK Chelseas talk about the young player from Middlesbrough looked out of order but again not the hard evidence we were all told about.

 

Load of old steam again from the Beeb and why beep out some clubs names, although I guess that has to do with little proof...not that I saw a lot of proof about anything except its agents that look worse than ever, oh and Harry fancies Andy Todd!!!

 

Thats an hour of my life I will never get back

What an absolute nightmare!

 

I'm shocked, can't figure out what to feel!

 

 

Drama queen!!

 

 

That show proved nowt.

 

 

 

BTW we won tonight 3-1.

If anyone should be worried its Harry Nobend Redknapp. There is nowt there for Sam to worry about other than twatting his son for shooting his mouth off and trying to act like Billy Big Balls. Craig was talking himself up so he could get in there, Sam is in the clear if thats all they have!!

 

they've got that african fella shooting his mouth off and Peter harrison going on about the craig and sam links!

Craig the cheeky bastard wanting to sell our best youngsters. The fat shit wants hanging .I genuinly believe sam hasnt been aware of most of his goings on.

Not sure....

 

Lot's of ******ing out of every other clubs names. This one's going to rumble on for months. Is it just me or was Craig Allardyce talking about farming our best youth players out to other clubs?

 

I don't think Fat Phil came out of it that badly.

 

Allardyce is on Five Live saying he is going to fight any 'lies which were told in the programme'

 

Was asked whether he would consider his position and he wouldn't comment....

true, no real substance

 

easy to edit so it's just sams name all the time, but no sam on record

 

hearsay and conjecture

 

but in the world we live, now down to sam and bwfc to prove otherwise

BBC 10 o'clock News is laying another few layers of sh1t on Big Sam.

NOT GOOD.

Drama queen!!

That show proved nowt.

BTW we won tonight 3-1.

 

Bloody hell if you think that's bad, wait till you hear Natasha's point of view!

Agreed Brixton.

 

Steve Curry from the Daily Mail just said on 'You're on Skysports, that it was just a load of smoke and mirrors.

 

All it proved is that there are a load of crooked agents, which everybody already knew.

 

 

And Anelka scored.

The programme was advertised as a documentary to rock the foundations of football. It was nothing more than a character assassantion of Sam Allardyce. At the end of the programme it stated that 18 top managers had been involved in bungs but only 2 were mentioned in the 90 min. broadcast! Sam's son came across as a typical son of as famous father, basking in the shadow of his fame. Nothing that would be eligible in a court of law was broadcast but if enough mud is thrown, some might stick!

true, no real substance

 

easy to edit so it's just sams name all the time, but no sam on record

 

hearsay and conjecture

 

but in the world we live, now down to sam and bwfc to prove otherwise

 

Quite a lot of hearsay and conjecture to be fair.

 

I want to hear Sam talk to the fans before I make any rash judgements but it sure doesn't look good....

Bet Sams Going home right now and putting craig right over his Knee (Spank Spank)

I don't think Fat Phil came out of it that badly.

 

Allardyce is on Five Live saying he is going to fight any 'lies which were told in the programme'

 

Was asked whether he would consider his position and he wouldn't comment....

fcuk me int this the longest weve been shown and listend too on the bbc

Maybe nothing was FACTUAL, but they've made BWFC look dodgy as fook.

for me there was fook all to nail sam with

 

the no comment line from craig implicated him, and he subsequently quit, but the way he answered the does your dad know about the deals, his "yes" sounded like somone who was lying, and about to get a right b??llocking from his dad

Agreed Brixton.

 

Steve Curry from the Daily Mail just said on 'You're on Skysports, that it was just a load of smoke and mirrors.

 

All it proved is that there are a load of crooked agents, which everybody already knew.

And Anelka scored.

 

 

One of the agents said "Sam like a deal"

 

And so do 19 other Premier league managers!!

 

And that sh*t scouse b*stard Nolan scored as well!!

 

Kent white you need to get out more often!

My initial thoughts are that Craig Allardyce is a useless lump of shite with a terrible art in self-promotion, Peter Harrison is as thick as 2 short planks and the guy out of Green Mile should stick to acting...

 

As for Gartside saying 5m euros would do for Jay-Jay last year....damn right! Every player in the world has a price...

Utterly manipulative drivell.

 

 

From a legal and strictly logical viewpoint, nothing in that film constituted a proof of guilt for any team, other than perhaps Chelsea and Liverpool, however in those cases the level of entrapment would limit it to the logical side.

 

It was full of pathetic allusions and attempts to characterise people. They didn't have a single thing on Phil, so they tried to make him out as the bad guy for lying to the fans, created a bad image and then tried to make an innocent transfer negotiation look like dodgy dealing.

 

And yes, considering we were the only team they went for, I think we need better lawyers.