Pompey fined over Benjani transfers
FA fines Portsmouth £15,000 over transfers of Benjani Mwaruwari
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Monday, 15, Dec 2008 10:38
The Football Association has fined Portsmouth £15,000 over the transfer of Benjani Mwaruwari to and from the club in 2006 and 2008.
A further £15,000 fine has been suspended for two years after Pompey were found to have broken FA rules regarding the club's use of football agents.
Under these regulations, agents are prohibited from acting for two different clubs in two consecutive transactions involving the same player.
And Portsmouth were found guilty of shirking this responsibility by dealing with agent Willie McKay when buying Benjani from French club Auxerre in January 2006, and again when selling him to Manchester City in January 2008.
McKay himself received a suspension of his overseas registration for the duration of one transfer window, suspended for two years, after he breached FA regulations for not being registered in England.
McKay is licensed by the Scottish FA but is required under the regulations to register with the FA in order to participate in transactions in this country.
Commission chairman Paul Gilroy QC stated: "The football agents regulations were introduced as an important method of addressing unacceptable practices in professional football, particularly in the transfer market.
"Both parties were fully aware of the new regulations at the time the offences were committed.
"The commission considered that the justice of the case was met by imposing penalties which to a large degree will act as an incentive to both parties to avoid any future transgressions."