Quest to interview agent Zahavi

Agent Pini Zahavi has been contacted by Quest, Lord Stevens' bungs team, to arrange a meeting concerning Zahavi's assistance in the investigation into alleged financial irregularities in the transfer market.

The agent, one of the most colourful and controversial figures in the game, is willing to cooperate with the investigators and has referred the matter to his solicitors. The meeting could take place this week.

Lord Stevens announced before Christmas that doubts still surround 17 of 362 transfers that he was investigating, claiming that eight agents had refused to co -operate and greatly delayed any progress.

Zahavi said yesterday he had cooperated with Quest through his legal advisers.

"We have given them everything they have asked for," said Zahvai.

Zahavi's interview is in the second phase of the inquiry. Stevens, the former Metropolitan Police commissioner, finished the initial inquiry last month. He gave a long list of recommendations but did not provide the names of clubs or individuals who had broken the rules.

The Premier League, the FA and Quest are expected to decide the terms of reference for a joint inquiry to investigate the remaining 17 transfers and force the eight agents to cooperate.

Since some Premier League clubs are anxious about the inquiry, the Premier League executive wants the next stage of the inquiry to be seen as a fresh start under the guidance of the national governing body.

The approach to Zahavi indicates that the inquiry is focused on forcing the agents to cooperate.

Last week, Nigel Layton, Quest's managing director, met with officials from the FA's compliance department looking for assistance in forcing the agents to open their books.

Quest gave the FA the names of eight agents that the inquiry team wants to talk to and asked that the names be passed to FIFA. FIFA, as the licensing body, has the power to force the agents to cooperate.

Scottish agent Willie McKay was also interviewed by Quest, meeting Layton and others at the Scottish FA headquarters in Glasgow.

"I have given all my bank details and everything they need, I have nothing to hide," said McKay.

Though the FA's compliance unit was given the names of the agents Quest wants to interview, it did not receive any details about the clubs that Stevens claimed had broken regulations. The remaining 17 deals were not revealed, either.

Zahavi, who has had a highly influential career as agent and adviser to players and clubs and is a close adviser to Roman Abramovich, helped set up the Russian's Chelsea purchase. He also negotiated a meeting between Abramovich and Sven-Goran Eriksson, then England manager, and was in attendance at the Ashley Cole tapping-up meeting.

Zahavi introduced Kia Joorabchian to West Ham's board, is said to have played a role in Alexandre Gaydamak's Portsmouth takeover, and is also an adviser to the Hero Football Fund, an investment group that will buy stakes in talented players' transfer rights.

Source: euFootball.BIZ © Copyright 2006 - All rights reserved.