ENGLISH SCANDAL TO COME?

Last updated : 16 July 2006 By Ed

From the Screws on the transfer inquiry.

English football is bracing itself for its own corruption scandal after Premiership investigators confirmed they have evidence of illicit transfers involving several top-flight clubs.

Here, a team of specialist bung-busters — headed by former Met Police chief Lord Stevens — has highlighted a series of highly-questionable Premier League transfers.

Now they want the green light to go further and grill the clubs, players and agents involved in those "dodgy deals" in a bid to bring them to justice.

And the investigators will enjoy unprecedented powers in their search for the truth.

They will be able to demand home, office and mobile phone records, and personal bank accounts in an effort to find out who paid and who received the money which allegedly "went missing" in the deals.

That could then lead to a number of high-profile cases being brought against some of the game's biggest clubs and biggest names — a shameful episode to rival the match-fixing sensation in Italy.

Nothing will happen for a couple of months because Lord Stevens' team will not officially present their interim report to the Premier League until September.

But inside sources say the report will provide enough evidence to convince the Premier League there are serious causes for concern in several high-profile moves.

An insider said: "What is the point of setting up an inquiry into allegations of illegal payments and illicit transfers if you don't follow the evidence and go all the way with it?

"Lord Stevens' team are sure to carry on this investigation, and a lot of people should be very uneasy about that."

A Premiership spokesman said: "We will receive Lord Stevens' initial report in September and examine it carefully.

"It was always going to be the case the inquiry would identify transfers they would like to look at in more detail."