Chelsea Face Investigation Over Shaun Wright-Phillips Transfer

Chris Wright

10th, March 2010

5 Comments

By Chris Wright

PA-6219568

Shaun ‘The Cat’ Wright-Phillips

You might want to sit down for this one, as it contains a shocking ‘some football transfers may possibly be corrupt’ revelation.

Anyway, Chelsea are looking at a potential points deduction from the FA (although a slap on the wrists/paltry fine is more likely) relating to issues with SWP’s transfer from Man City in 2005.

Apparently Chelsea dealt with an unlicenced agent when negotiating the transfer. Apologies for the cut-and-paste nature of this – but it doesn’t really need re-wording – these are the details of the allegations as reported in The Guardian;

“The Football Association is considering whether Shaun Wright-Phillips and Chelsea could face charges for dealing with an unlicensed agent, Mitchell Thomas, when Wright-Phillips moved to Stamford Bridge from Manchester City in July 2005. The investigation by the FA follows the outcome of a case brought by the Law Society against a solicitor, Timothy Drukker, who signed off the paperwork in the Wright‑Phillips deal but paid Thomas part of the £1.2m fee which Chelsea paid him.

The Wright-Phillips transfer is the 17th deal, previously unidentified, handed over to the FA by Quest, the investigators the Premier League hired to conduct the so-called “bungs inquiry” into transfers by its clubs between 1 January 2004 and 31 January 2006. Quest cleared all the other deals, but said more inquiries should be made into No17. At the time, the Wright-Phillips deal was not identified because the Law Society had begun proceedings.

They only reached their conclusion in January, with a finding by the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal that Drukker was guilty of “conduct unbecoming a solicitor” during the transfer and in “misleading” Quest when they made inquiries. He was fined £15,000, the tribunal having decided there was no dishonesty on his part but that Drukker’s actions “had resulted in the undermining of the Fifa regulations”.

Drukker himself told the tribunal he had been asked by “parties close to Shaun Wright-Phillips” to act as his agent when the details of the move to Chelsea had been agreed. Drukker was paid a fee understood to be £1.2m, did not keep any of it and paid it to others including Thomas.”

Chelsea are of course denying any knowledge of Thomas’ involvement in the negotiations but it is they (and SWP) who will face punishment from the FA should any charges be levelled, as Thomas is not liable due to him being unlicensed and therefore not considered to be operating within the laws of the game.

Posted in Chelsea, Man City

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5 Comments

  1. peter dodds says:

    ITS apparently obvious that a witch hunt is going on with chelsea i can remember when chelsea west stand was built they had to sell some of there best players when they got in to debt over it.football players have to be able to work together as a team no amount of money can do that just look what happened to man city with one of there star players.

  2. Chelsea Face Investigation Over Shaun Wright-Phillips Transfer…

    You might want to sit down for this one, as it contains a shocking ’some football transfers may possibly be corrupt’ revelation.

    Anyway, Chelsea are looking at a potential points deduction from……

  3. stu says:

    whether this is fair & above board or not; there has been a witch-hunt against chelsea this season. the kakuta thing. the four terry scandals. the ashley cole stuff. & now this?

    say goodbye to any fair or balanced reporting…imagine if ashley had flicked the v at a ref. or beat up a dj. chelsea are just a club that everyone tries to make an example of.

  4. Roman's Soldier says:

    There is a definite witch hunt against the club. Stop buying papers, complain on sports websites. They will soon get the message.
    Had John Terry played for another club he would not have lost the England Captaincy.
    It just goes to show what a petty and childish world we live in.
    The FA suck up to a corrupt FIFA by buying a load of £220 + Designer handbags for the World Cup Delegating Official’s wives…
    This is a FIFA that unfairly (and probably illegaly) imposed a transfer ban on Chelsea, wants to impose illegal bans on numbers of foreign players etc. and now wants to run financial affairs of all clubs and stop rich in individuals buying clubs… YAWN it goes on and on. Blatter is a cancer in the football world and unfortunately it has spread to the likes of UEFA and that French Squirt Platini.
    I am a Chelsea Fan, I am an England fan… but when I see blatant cheating and corruption, I hate it. Take the ROI for example and that appalling hand ball by the Henri which prevented them from going to the World Cup.
    To be honest, France should not have been there anyway. They did not Qualify outright from their group, neither did several other top teams. So, What did FIFA do? They rewrote the rules regarding playoffs. Normally this was a straight draw. Not this time. After it was realised several of the top teams might face each other and potentially knock a top team or two out, Fifa decided to “seed” the countries so they could not meet each other, then pair them against lesser opposition.
    THIS IS FRAUD.
    Chelsea have been diabolically treated in Europe the last few years…
    Referees giving decisions that were ludicrous. I am not saying this because I am a Chelsea Supporter. Even neutrals would agree… and the TV companies certainly do. However, question it and FIFA or UEFA would
    slap you with a fine and ban.
    The truth is, these foreign sorts hate the English.
    However, as another post said, It is OUR game. We invented it.
    If I were in charge of England, I would personally do all that I could to create a break-away union. One fair to all.
    As for Blatter. He should be put out to pasture. He is obviously a senile old Fart who has no idea about fairness within the game. His and FIFA’s decision to totally rule out video goal line technology is farcical… or is it? To me it justifies that they are a bunch of cheats and I guarantee that if there is a dispute over an English goal in either an international or Champions League match, the decision will go against us. FIFA are out of date and totally out of touch.

  5. Ian White-Possidrive says:

    The FA, FIFA and Uefa are ALL corrupt… and Hypocrites.

    JT copped it from the FA who have had Management / Executives whom have had shady business transactions and affairs with women etc. Yet do not want to see a Chelsea player captain the country (even though he is the best there is) or want to see Chelsea do well because they are jealous that Roman put all this money into the club and it has bought a lot of success.

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