November 23, (THEWILL) – The England Football Association has confirmed they will be launching an investigation into Tottenham Hotspur’s sale of Jermain Defoe to Portsmouth in 2008. There are allegations that an unlicensed agent was involved in the £7.5 million deal, which saw Defoe move to Portsmouth initially before returning to Tottenham a year later.
Reports state that Mitchell Thomas assisted with negotiations despite not having an FA license. Additionally, Chairman Daniel Levy allegedly did not agree to a representation contract with another agent who received a £1 million payment for his role in the transfer – both potential breaches of FA regulations. An independent 2010 arbitration panel apparently concluded Thomas helped secure Defoe’s Portsmouth contract terms. However, the FA opted against disciplinary proceedings when presented with evidence.
An FA spokeswoman said: “If there is new evidence suggesting serious breaches of our rules, we will review it.” In a separate statement, the FA confirmed: “We are looking at the case, and as part of that, we will be reviewing the arbitration panel award.”
Former Portsmouth manager, Harry Redknapp, admitted he thought Thomas was acting as Defoe’s agent at the time. Redknapp stated: “As far as I know, Mitchell Thomas was his agent.” The FA have disciplined clubs harshly in the past for agent rule breaches.
In 2008, Luton Town were docked 10 points and fined £50,000 for failing to agree representation contracts. Additionally, ex-Leeds United owner, Massimo Cellino, received a 12-month ban in 2017 for working with unlicensed agents. It remains to be seen if Tottenham will face similar punishments.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
