Arsenal to be exposed tonight in naughty shinanagans!!
I am C+Ping this from another forum.........
Quote:
Arsenal's management shown up for the scum that they are.
Press Office Website" <*****@bbc.co.uk>
Subject: Belgian police investigation concludes Arsenal behind secret
payments of £1m to fund take-over of Beveren football club
Embargoed until 10.30pm, Thursday June 1st. Any use of this material must
be credited to BBC TWO's Newsnight
Belgian police investigation concludes Arsenal behind secret payments of
£1m to fund take-over of Beveren football club
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.
Notes to editors:
Newsnight is BBC TWO’s flagship current affairs programme. On air since
1980 its role is to be thought-provoking and informative, analysing complex
issues in-depth with high quality and hard hitting films.It is watched by
6.5m viewers a week.
So,bearing this in mind,what should the outcome be? I'm a bit lost in it all,and will watch tonight to get a clearer picture of what's happened.
