Four Months Later, Bungs Scandal All but Forgotten

• The Guardian, Friday, January 26, 2007 3:11 PM

What happened to Lord Stevens' inquiry into the bungs scandal that newspapers across Britain claimed was "rocking English football"? After a flurry of press reports and assertions from all sides that investigations would be ongoing, little if anything has been said publicly in the last few months. The BBC Panorama report, entitled "Undercover: Football's Dirty Secrets" showed footage of soccer agents discussing the willingness of certain Premier League managers, including Bolton's Sam Allardyce, of being open to take kickbacks from players' transfer fees.

Despite Allardyce's repeated threats of legal action, the Premier League and its clubs openly agreed to investigate the serious allegations delivered in the BBC program. But Matt Scott of The Guardian received several "no comment" responses from Bolton when he asked how the club's internal investigations were proceeding. The BBC report also accused Allardyce's son Craig, a former agent who's now resigned, and Peter Harrison, also an agent, of receiving payments to facilitate Bolton transfers.

Four months later, Scott points out, it's still unclear who chaired the "thorough and robust" inquiry Bolton promised to deliver, or if any interviews with Allardyce, his son, or Harrison have occurred at all.

Read the whole story at The Guardian »