Harry Maintains Innocence

Last updated : 29 November 2007 By Jim Bonner
I got home from work last night expecting to hear all about the Champions League when I read that Harry Redknapp has been arrested on suspicion of "conspiracy to defraud and false accounting".

I was shocked at first, thinking that this was something very serious and it may still be, but Harry has now been allowed to get back to work and he believes that the issue is at an end and that it "doesn't directly concern him".

Of course, Harry wasn't the only one to be arrested yesterday. Peter Storrie and Milan Mandaric were also brought in for questioning as well as two other people who are 99.9% certain to be Amdy Faye and his agent, Willie McKay.

Peter Storrie has been released with Redknapp, whilst the former Pompey chairman has said he will co-operate 100% with the police. The matter in question is Amdy Faye's transfer to and from Pompey back in 2003, which may mean that Velimir Zajec might be questioned as he was the Pompey manager when Faye was sold to Newcastle.

There has been no word from Faye or McKay yet, but all that matters from a Pompey perspective is that Harry, and anyone else connected to the club is innocent because if not, then our season prospects will be seriously damaged.

The club themselves have released a statement that confirmed Redknapp and Storrie's arrest, but were also quick to say that the events took place before Sacha took charge of the club and you can be sure that they did that to make sure the club don't get penalised if anyone associated with Pompey back in 2003 does get charged with fraud or corruption.

Unfortunately, I don't think that we've heard the last of this issue and I can see it rearing its ugly head somewhere in the near future. I've heard through the grapevine that more arrests are imminent, so hopefully that will have no more to do with anyone who is, or has been associated with Portsmouth Football Club.