Bung probe gives pledge to clubs

The eight clubs currently investigated for illegal payments will remain secret according to the Premier League and Lord Stevens.

Names of eight clubs were published in a newspaper at the weekend as Stevens continues to look into 39 transfers.

"An agreed period of two months was requested at the Premier League meeting last Monday in order for my team and I to complete the next phase of the inquiry," said Stevens. "This was approved by the clubs, I understand unanimously."

Meanwhile, the Premier League also plans to contact newspapers warning them over possible legal action following the weekend's stories. "The Premier League will be writing on behalf of these eight clubs to the newspapers concerned, putting them on notice that in the event these are not the eight clubs involved in this phase of the inquiry, they reserve their position with regard to taking the appropriate action against them," a Premier League spokesman said.

If any club is deemed to have made illegal payments, Stevens has said he will pass details to the Premier League, the Football Association and, if necessary, the police.

Stevens has declared 323 transfers as being clean, but is now seeking to use Football Association rules to force agents to open their bank accounts as investigations continue into the remaining 39 transfers, most of which are domestic transfers.

The FA confirmed that it has the right to request information from FA-licensed agents' bank accounts under their "powers of inquiry" - and those who failed to comply risked a misconduct charge.

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