Tories call for "decisive action" after Stevens report
Hugh Robertson has urged football's governing bodies to learn from the findings of the Stevens report
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Monday, 18, Jun 2007 04:09
Shadow sports minister Hugh Robertson has called for "decisive action" after the findings of the report into corruption in football were published last week.
The Lord Stevens report, published on Friday, highlighted 17 transfers, including the high-profile signings of Premiership stars Didier Drogba, Yakubu, Tal Ben Haim and Fabio Rochemback, over the last four years that could not be signed off as fully legitimate and legal.
Five Premiership teams - Chelsea, Portsmouth, Newcastle United, Middlesbrough and Bolton Wanderers; two managers - Sam Allardyce and Graeme Souness; and three well-known football agents were also named by Lord Stevens.
And Mr Robertson has said that such reports of potential corruption should be taken very seriously and acted upon in order that public confidence in the organisation of the sport can be maintained.
"Following the publication of the Stevens Report, football now needs to take decisive action," the Tory MP said, before citing three actions that "would command widespread support".
"Firstly, agents must be stopped from representing more than one party in any deal. Their relationship should be with individual players not the clubs," Robertson continued.
"Secondly, football needs a proper system for clearing every transfer deal. There is widespread doubt that a spot-check system will be effective.
"Thirdly, given the global reach of the transfer market, there needs to be a common accepted set of international standards which will require agreement from Fifa.
"This would allow football and its regulatory authorities to move forward from the Stevens inquiry."