Caborn demands BBC hand over ‘bungs’ evidence
The sports minister has demanded the BBC hand over evidence from a programme about illegal payments – or “bungs” – in football.
Richard Caborn said the Football Association and Premier League would need the evidence to continue their inquiry, which is being led by Lord Stevens, a former Metropolitan Police commissioner.
He said the Panorama programme that was aired last night damaged the reputation of the game.
“The integrity of sport needs to be upheld, and there are proper rules for managers and agents,” Mr Caborn argued.
The documentary investigated several individuals for taking bungs, and secretly filmed two agents saying they had paid Bolton Wanderers manager Sam Allardyce to allow the transfer of players.
Speaking on the record, the agents claimed they had exaggerated in the film, while Mr Allardyce has denied he has ever taken or been offered illegal payments.
“These allegations damage the integrity of football and need to be looked at properly,” Mr Caborn added.
He said the programme, which claimed to have names of 18 managers “who had received illegal payments” should “give all their findings over to the Lord Stevens inquiry”.
“This reinforces what I have been trying to do to bring in greater regulation into football through the European football review,” he added.
The Football Association (FA) has confirmed it will investigate “any possible breach of the rules” over the allegations made in the programme.
“I mean, there was some evidence given – I think that needs to be handed over now and interrogated properly,” he told Today.
“Many of the people who gave that evidence denied it on the Panorama programme afterwards.”
He claimed the European football review had helped to tackle the problem, but insisted it could only be dealt with on an international scale.
“There are many issues across Europe,” he said. “You can only deal with it at a European level and at a global level through Fifa.
“It’s my job to bring in the policies and the structures that can actually deal with the cause, and not with the symptoms,” the sports minister added.
He later said the situation could be resolved, telling the BBC: “What has been discussed is a new licensing [regime] which every club will have to sign up to, and if they break the rules there will be consequences.”
The findings of the review are due to be released on October 2nd.
