No place for football corruption

Today the Express & Star exclusively reveals the cancer of corruption at the heart of British football. The revelations by Colin Gordon, agent of the England manager Steve McClaren, go far beyond the allegations made in the recent BBC Panorama programme.

In a frank and ferocious interview, a man at the very heart of the game talks of bungs, backhanders and the most cynical abuse of the fans’ money.

For make no mistake, football corruption is not a victimless crime.

Fans, especially those with young children, are paying through the nose to watch the game.

Season tickets for the top premiership clubs have passed the £1,000 mark. A day out for a family of four to watch a Championship side can easily exceed £100 - a huge slice of a working family’s income.

The fact that so much money is paid to an industry dominated by multi-millionaire prima donnas, skivers and divers speaks volumes for the loyalty of grass-roots supporters.

But the very least the fans are entitled to expect is that their money is used wisely and legally.

If Colin Gordon is right - and we see no reason to doubt him - millions of pounds is being siphoned off in illicit deals.

He explains how the corruption works. He tells how he was offered a suitcase full of money.

Suddenly the Beautiful Game is looking very dirty indeed. Many outsiders may shrug their shoulders and say, so what? As Gordon himself accepts, other industries involve greasing palms to obtain contracts. But as he stresses, the fact that bribery is commonplace elsewhere does not make it right in football.

The only way forward is for every player, manager, director and official to fight this evil.

Corruption depends on a sleazy network of money-shifting and offshore accounts and it thrives on silence.

But in today’s world it has never been easier for the authorities to hunt down illicit payments and confiscate ill-gotten gains.

Corruption in football will only be beaten when those who suspect something is amiss have the moral courage to inform the authorities.

The fans want the Beautiful Game to be a clean game. So does the Inland Revenue.

Tony’s farewell is set to run and run

Tony Blair’s “farewell” speech to Conference pushed all the right buttons. Strong men wiped away a tear. Women wept openly.

And yet the leader who was expected to announce a retirement date has done no such thing. Today come whispers that he may hang on until next summer.

This could turn out to be the longest farewell in politics.

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