The FA has acknowledged that they would ‘look into’ Jermain Defoe’s alleged illegal transfer from Tottenham to Portsmouth in 2008.
According to the Times, Spurs could be in hot water when evidence appears to demonstrate that they utilised an unlicensed agent in negotiations that resulted in Defoe‘s £7.5 million move to Pompey.
The FA chose not to take action against Tottenham at the time, but the English football governing body has stated that it will investigate the matter.
According to the Times, the FA issued a statement on Wednesday saying, ‘We are looking into the situation, and as part of that, we will be examining the arbitration panel ruling.’
The publication also stated that football’s governing body would revive the case against the north London club, which had previously been closed.
Breaching FA rules on agents has resulted in clubs losing points, directors being suspended, and transfer restrictions being enforced. The next year, Luton Town were fined 10 points for violating the agent regulations.
‘The matter was heard by an impartial arbitration panel 15 years ago,’ stated an FA spokeswoman.
‘The FA did not participate in the arbitration. The amount of information shared with the FA at the time is unknown, and no disciplinary action was taken.
‘If there is fresh material that was not available at the time that implies major violations of our standards occurred, we will investigate it.’
According to the Times, Mitchell Thomas, a former West Ham and Tottenham player who was a ‘key figure’ in Defoe‘s move to Portsmouth, was an unregistered agent at the time.
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy, Defoe, and then-Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp are said to have dealt with Thomas throughout the transfer.
Agents are allowed to represent a player in a transfer, but they must be licenced and have a written representation contract.
The contract between an agent and a player must include “the entire agreement between the parties in relation to the agency activity,” including the amount of commission owed.
At the time, FA regulations – which are still in effect today – stated that players and clubs were not permitted to utilise unregistered agents to finalise transfer agreements.
According to the article, failure to follow these guidelines might result in harsh penalties, including relegation.
Despite having access to extensive phone records and knowing that Thomas had played a role in securing Defoe‘s move to Fratton Park, the FA reportedly decided not to take action in January 2010 because Wembley officials did not have all of the essential documents at the time.
One FA executive is believed to have been completely unaware of the Defoe case at the time.
In 2008, the FA named Thomas to a list of agents who had been working without a licence.
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