BBC Panorama airs bungs programme

Panorama finally pulled back the curtain to reveal those it spotlighted in its undercover bungs probe.

The programme showed Bolton's Sam Allardyce as one who was featured in the undercover work, as was Portsmouth's Harry Redknapp and his former assistant Kevin Bond. A Chelsea youth director also was allegedly "tapping up" another club's player.

The programme also has led to a call for the BBC to turn over evidence. Among those seeking evidence from Panorama are the FA, Bolton, the Lord Stevens inquiry and the Premier League.

The film showed two agents claiming they paid bungs to Allardyce, who denies ever asking for or taking a bung.

The FA has asked for any evidence uncovered by the Panorama programme.

"We have watched the programme with great interest and have asked the BBC if they will share the findings from their investigation with us," An FA spokesman said. "If we have evidence of possible breaches of rules and regulations we will of course investigate that."

Bolton also said it may request further information from the BBC.

"We are reviewing the programme carefully. We will make further comment in due course," said a club statement.

Agent Teni Yerima claims he had bribed Allardyce in the past, and agent Peter Harrison described offering to pay the Bolton manager's son, Craig, who Panorama claimed received secret payments from agents during three transfer deals.

Allardyce told the BBC he would not condone any breaches of FA rules – even if it is his son.

Craig Allardyce said he was exaggerating his own importance to the undercover reporter. He denied any wrongdoing in his Bolton deals or in his relationship with the club.

Portsmouth boss Redknapp was secretly filmed discussing an illegal approach to Blackburn defender Andy Todd.

Redknapp denied his conversation about Todd with Harrison amounted to "tapping up".

Bond was recorded admitting he would consider discussing receiving payments from a proposed new agency involving Harrison. Bond then said he would discuss it with his then boss Harry Redknapp.

Redknapp told the BBC that he has never taken a bung and had given Bond any reason to think otherwise.

When Bond was told of the filming he said that he is not interested in receiving bungs and that no one he has ever worked with has taken a bung.

The documentary also shows Chelsea's director of youth football, Frank Arnesen, secretly filmed "tapping up" Middlesbrough's England youth star 15-year-old Nathan Porritt. Chelsea denied the filmed meetings broke any industry rules.

The Premier League champions were given a suspended three-point deduction by the Premier League when they were found guilty of illegally approaching Arsenal's Ashley Cole, who has since joined Chelsea.

The Press Association has reported that Panorama's claims will not lead to that points deduction being triggered.

Chelsea is currently the subject of a joint investigation by the Premier League and Football Association over illegal approach claims by Leeds . The Press Association claims the suspended sentence refers to 'contracted players', and not academy players.

Panorama claimed 18 past and present Premiership managers had been named as having taken illegal payments.

Sports minister Richard Caborn called on the programme to hand its evidence to the Lord Stevens' Premier League's inquiry, which is scheduled to announce its findings into illegal payments in football on 2 October.

"The integrity of sport needs to be upheld and there are proper rules for managers and agents. These allegations damage the integrity of football and need to be looked at properly," Caborn said. "The programme alleged they had names of 18 managers who had received illegal payments, and I think they should give all their findings over to the Lord Stevens inquiry.

"This reinforces what I have been trying to do to bring in greater regulation into football through the European Football Review."

A Premier League statement echoed the view.

"The Premier League have asked for the BBC to make their evidence available to the Stevens inquiry," a statement read. "The Premier League takes all allegations of this nature seriously, which is why we launched an inquiry into alleged irregular payments in transfers back in January of this year.

"As we have made clear any evidence from any source is welcomed. Indeed when the BBC initially approached us regarding Panorama's findings we requested they be submitted to Lord Stevens for investigation.

"We hope now the BBC has had the opportunity to broadcast that their documentary evidence and filming will be made available to Lord Stevens and his team. There are allegations concerning other potential breaches of industry rules in the programme that fall outside the terms of reference of Lord Stevens' inquiry."

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