Arsenal in trouble?

PHB

Don't know where this is from, it's just a copy and paste from another site:

Newsnight has been given exclusive access to a police investigation into a Belgian football club, with links to Arsenal, which is used to bring dozens of Ivory Coast footballers into Europe.

The investigation was launched initially because the Belgian Police suspected the Russian mafia might be using Beveren, a small-town football club in Belgium and the centre of trade in players between the Ivory Coast and Europe, to launder money. This was later ruled out but their investigations revealed financial support to Beveren from Arsenal football club.

The findings from the investigation will be aired on Newsnight on BBC TWO tonight at 10.30pm.

Arsenal admits to sporting links to the controversial club Beveren but has always denied any financial support. However Newsnight has been shown documents by the investigating magistrates including one showing an interest free loan agreement dated the 10th of August 2001 and signed by Arsenal Vice Chairman David Dein on behalf of Arsenal Football Club PLC which shows that Arsenal put up money to take over the club.

This contract Dein signed is for 12m Belgian francs or about £200,000. The investigators concluded that in all Arsenal had secretly handed over a million pounds in order to fund the take-over of Beveren football club.

FIFA lawyers are now examining whether Arsenal have broken the rules. If any wrong doing is established Arsenal could face a fine or even suspension. The allegations in the programme have been put to Arsenal but the football club has so far declined to respond.

Beveren was used by Arsene Wenger’s close friend Jean Marc Guillou to bring players from the Ivory Coast into Europe from an academy in Abidjan which he had helped to set up in cooperation with the local ASECs Football Club. The academy produced the Arsenal stars Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Eboue and Salomon Kalou who has just moved to Chelsea. Nearly half the Ivory Coast World Cup squad are graduates of the ASECs academy. A few were sold directly to European clubs but restrictions on imports of players from Africa prevented further sales. The acquisition of cash-strapped Beveren allowed Guillou to take advantage of Belgium’s relatively lax rules and get his players into Europe. Emmanuel Eboue took the Beveren route to Arsenal. Others were sold on to teams all over Europe.

Rumours spread in Belgium that Arsenal was secretly behind the takeover but this was strongly denied by Wenger and Guillou. Wenger told the Belgian press "there is no question of financial support" and "this is not allowed." Guillou said “No, the money did not come from Arsenal, because according to the rules Arsenal is not allowed to own shares in two football clubs at the same time". Beveren refused to say where the money was coming from. Investigating magistrates in the Belgian town of Denedermonde investigated in case it was mafia money-laundering. The investigators forced Beveren to hand over all documentation and interviewed key individuals but dropped the investigation when it became clear there was no mafia involvement.

Newsnight has also seen a witness statement by Beveren Chairman Franz Van Hoof to the Belgian police saying that Arsenal was the main shareholder of NV Goal which effectively controlled the club. According to the Dein contract Arsenal would make an interest free loan to Goal to take over the club and Arsenal would be repaid from Beveren’s payments to Goal. Another Director of Beveren told us that in return for the million pounds Arsenal’s representative was given 50% control and Wenger’s friend Guillou another 30%. It was agreed that most of the money raised in transfer fees would not go into Beveren. 40% would go to Goal and 30% to Guillou.

AnCapaillMor

Looks like we could be f'ed, we're already serving a 2 year suspended transfer ban for using an unlicensed agent, could be unsuspended.

randomname

Looks like the aresenal are in big trouble....

Roddy23

Looks like we could be f'ed, we're already serving a 2 year suspended transfer ban for using an unlicensed agent, could be unsuspended.

If that were to happen we'd want to move quickly and nab a few more players.

PHB

Looks like we could be f'ed, we're already serving a 2 year suspended transfer ban for using an unlicensed agent, could be unsuspended.

Really? Whens that from?

PHB

It's just hit the BBC now:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/5037494.stm

Fifa has launched an investigation into whether Arsenal have broken regulations which could leave the club exposed to serious penalties - even expulsion from the Champions League.

Newsnight has learnt that a police investigation in Belgium has concluded that Arsenal made secret payments of £1m to a Belgian football club.

The payments were made to take over Beveren, which has brought dozens of players from the Ivory Coast into Europe.

Arsenal deny making any financial input into Beveren but the BBC has been shown documents by the investigating magistrates, including one signed by David Dein on behalf of Arsenal Football Club PLC.

It was a mystery payment of one million pounds to an obscure Belgian football club in 2001 which sparked off a money-laundering investigation.

The club, Beveren, was in desperate financial straits and they refused to say where the cash had come from.

Fog of secrecy

Christian du Four, the Investigating Magistrate in the Flemish town of Dendermonde, told Newsnight, "A company with no name wanted to invest a million pounds in the club. We thought it rather bizarre."

At the same time the team threw out most of its Belgian players and replaced them with unknowns from an academy in Ivory Coast, West Africa. Belgian police suspected the fog of secrecy was hiding mafia involvement.

Instead after an investigation they have told Newsnight that they found Arsenal's secret hand behind the money.
Arsenal has a public deal with Beveren to play friendly matches and loan players but Arsenal have repeatedly denied that they put money into the club.

Reading from his investigation, Mr Du Four said: "Jean Marc Guillou who is the manager of Beveren has very close contacts with Arsene Wenger the coach of Arsenal and that is why they went ahead with the contract."

Rules breach

He then highlighted one contract signed by Arsenal Vice-Chairman David Dein. The contract (Document shows Dein agreeing to advance 12 million Belgian francs (around £200,000) on behalf of Arsenal Football Club in an interest free loan to an associate of his called Raoul de Waele. The loan was to establish a company called Goal which would take over control of Beveren football club.
The loan and other money advanced by Arsenal would be repaid out of Goal's share of transfer profits. Du Four says that in all Arsenal put in £1m.

A director of Beveren, who did not wish to be identified, told Newsnight that in return for the £1m de Waele was given 50% control of Beveren and Guillou was given another 30%.

If Arsenal secretly controlled another club, especially one such as Beveren who they bought Emmanuel Eboue from, they could be in breach of FIFA rules and could be heavily fined or even thrown out of the Champions League.

Last gasp for Spurs

Supercell

PHB wrote:

Last gasp for Spurs

Was thinking the exact same, truth could turn out to be stranger than fiction!!
Bet they're VERY interested in seeing that justice is served down in White Hart Lane

dannyd20

Please find comment from Arsenal Football Club, if you are to use this, please attribute to an Arsenal spokesperson.
Thank you.
Arsenal Football Club is aware that BBC Newsnight is carrying a story this evening purporting to describe Arsenal's relationship with Belgian football club, Beveren.
Arsenal does not normally make public its agreements with third parties. However, Arsenal can confirm that it has had a technical relationship with Beveren since 2001. This relationship has a number of benefits to both clubs such as providing a platform to share coaching methods and techniques as well as facilitating the option of players being loaned between the clubs. For example, during the course of the relationship, Arsenal players David Grondin, Liam Chilvers, John Halls and Graham Stack all spent successful loan periods at Beveren as did Emmanuel Eboue, who played in a number of trial matches with Arsenal whilst contracted to Beveren. Such was the latter player's success, Arsenal subsequently signed Eboue on a permanent basis.
In addition, Arsenal confirms that it has never owned, directly or indirectly, any shares in Beveren or had any power whatsoever to influence its management or administration. It did in 2001 provide funds of 1,570,703 Euros by way of loan to a member of the consortium to assist in stabilising the finances of Beveren.
At no time has anyone at Arsenal been contacted by any regulatory or investigatory body with respect to its relationship with Beveren. Arsenal and all its staff have acted properly throughout, in accordance with all applicable rules and regulations, and in the best interests of Beveren, Arsenal and the broader footballing community.


well that's that then (although I was hoping for a few arse probe jokes)

therecklessone

I'm not even gonna follow this story, I can confidently predict Arsenal will not be thrown out of the CL.

More than likely a fine if found guilty of wrongdoing, with a possible transfer ban.

Pepe LeFrits

I've no interest in legal matters and this doesn't change that so I'll just wait and see what happens. What FIFA and the UEFA-CL have to do with eachother though, I don't know.

MrJoeSoap

http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/avdb/news_web/video/9012da680044e68/nb/09012da680045178_16x9_nb.asx

Very interesting. Had no idea Beveren had only black players, thats a bit mad!

Mossy Monk

Pepe LeFrits wrote:

What FIFA and the UEFA-CL have to do with eachother though, I don't know.

me neither. why not the FA Cup. why the Champions League?

mchurl

Because the champions league would hurt Arsenal more than the FA cup and it is run by UEFA while the FA cup is run by the FA.

As for it happening, even if Arsenal are found guilty, i dont think they will be thrown out.They will more than likely recive a heavy fine and maybe the transfer ban suspension will be lifted, but i cant see it going any further.

tred

mchurl wrote:

Because the champions league would hurt Arsenal more than the FA cup and it is run by UEFA while the FA cup is run by the FA.

As for it happening, even if Arsenal are found guilty, i dont think they will be thrown out.They will more than likely recive a heavy fine and maybe the transfer ban suspension will be lifted, but i cant see it going any further.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/5040448.stm

Mossy Monk

mchurl wrote:

Because the champions league would hurt Arsenal more than the FA cup and it is run by UEFA while the FA cup is run by the FA

but FIFA are investigating, not UEFA

p.pete

Mossy Monk wrote:

but FIFA are investigating, not UEFA

I'm sure if FIFA find wrong doing then their findings will be passed to UEFA. If it's between a UK club and a Belgian club then you could argue it's UEFA juristiction.

On the BBC program last night they were suggesting one possible punishment being relegation from the premier league.

Shaque attack

p.pete wrote:

I'm sure if FIFA find wrong doing then their findings will be passed to UEFA. If it's between a UK club and a Belgian club then you could argue it's UEFA juristiction.

On the BBC program last night they were suggesting one possible punishment being relegation from the premier league.

the two pundits they had on were a joke tbh, aside from the report that phb posted earlier there was no insight provided by anyone on the show.
that lawyer would have been more useful tbh. he seems to have hit the nail on the head. The most i could see happening is a fine for the way they carried out the loan.

p.pete

Shaque attack wrote:

the two pundits they had on were a joke tbh, aside from the report that phb posted earlier there was no insight provided by anyone on the show.

Agreed - the only thing they achieved was to provide conflicting opinions.

AnCapaillMor

MrJoeSoap wrote:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/media/avdb/news_web/video/9012da680044e68/nb/09012da680045178_16x9_nb.asx

Very interesting. Had no idea Beveren had only black players, thats a bit mad!

Last year their team was Igor Stepvanos and Ivory coast players.

MrJoeSoap

AnCapaillMor wrote:

Last year their team was Igor Stepvanos and Ivory coast players.

Around 2/3's of their current squad is Ivorian too. Stepanovs was there in 03/04.

Big Nelly

Dein just sacked off the FA board

Could be some truth to story, replaced by Gill

therecklessone

Big Nelly wrote:

Dein just sacked off the FA board

Could be some truth to story, replaced by Gill

Voted off by his fellow PL chairmen.

More likely the culmination of Mourinho's CL rant, the Spurs' lasagnegate, and McLaren to replace Sven.

Pepe LeFrits

Big Nelly wrote:

Dein just sacked off the FA board

Could be some truth to story, replaced by Gill

haha, excellent. I wonder will The Muppet start expressing a belief that the FA are biased in favour of United now