Liverpool is being investigated over its well-documented interest in former Fulham striker Clint Dempsey. Even though the American eventually signed for Tottenham, Fulham did not drop its complaint over what the club believes is a breach of rules by Liverpool. If found guilty of wrongdoing, Liverpool could be fined or even hit with a points deduction.

What did Liverpool do, exactly? For starters, Coach Brendan Rodgers expressed interest in Dempsey on Liverpool’s official Web site while he was still a Fulham player. Then, New England Sports Network, which has the same owner as Liverpool, erroneously claimed that a deal between the clubs had been agreed, when, in fact, it had not. Fulham reportedly received a private apology for the mix-up.

English Premier League clubs have been fined and docked points for illegally approaching players while they are still under contract with other clubs before. Most recently, Chelsea received a three-point, suspended penalty for illegally approaching Ashley Cole in 2005.