Source: Daily_Mail
Harry Redknapp in court accused of accepting bungs
Henry James Redknapp is no stranger to drama but even for Tottenham's manager it was some 24 hours; an extraordinary journey from the dug-out to the dock and the first day of what promises to be a demanding two weeks for the 64-year-old.[LNB] On Sunday he watched in horror as Mario Balotelli escaped immediate punishment for an apparent stamp on Scott Parker only to then see the Italian score the decisive penalty that condemned his side to defeat at Manchester City. [LNB]It was, he clearly felt, a huge injustice. By Monday, however, it was Redknapp who stood accused - and of something rather more serious than violent conduct on a football pitch. [LNB] In the dock: Milan Mandaric (left) and Harry Redknapp in the court drawing[LNB] Spurred on: Redknapp arrives at court to face tax evasion charges[LNB]The man widely tipped to succeed Fabio Capello as England manager is standing trial alongside Milan Mandaric, at one stage his chairman and employer at Portsmouth, for tax evasion. [LNB]Inside Southwark Crown Court the prosecution told the jury of how Redknapp had previously been investigated by the British tax authorities for a ?300,000 payment over the transfer of Rio Ferdinand from West Ham to Leeds United. [LNB]Redknapp was West Ham manager when Ferdinand completed his ?18million move, then a British record transfer fee, and the payment he received was the subject of an investigation by tax officials from January 2004 to October 2006.[LNB] Shortly after 8am, Redknapp arrived at the court with his son Jamie. Richard Bevan, the chief executive of the League Managers' Association, and three senior Tottenham officials were also there to support him. [LNB] While they took their places in the public gallery in Court Six, Redknapp joined Mandaric inside the bullet-proof glass booth opposite Judge Anthony Leonard. Between them sat the defence teams and the prosecution. [LNB]Once a second jury had been sworn in - following the discharge of a member of the original 12 - John Black, the QC leading the prosecution, began to present the Crown's case.[LNB] It was not long before Black was using the kind of words that will resonate through the football world. Words like bung, cheat and dishonest. [LNB] Accused: Mandaric (left) denies the charges directed at him[LNB] Behind the glass, the defendants responded in very different ways. Both remained perfectly calm but while Mandaric simply sat there and listened, Redknapp pulled on his reading spectacles to follow the evidence laid out in the jury's bundle line by line, accusation by accusation. [LNB] The detail presented by Mr Black was dramatic and it focused on the transfer of Peter Crouch from Portsmouth to Aston Villa and the fact that Redknapp had clauses in his contracts that paid him a percentage of any net gain on the sale of a player.[LNB] When he joined Portsmouth as their director of football in June 2001, said Mr Black, he negotiated a deal with Mandaric that saw him receive 10 per cent of any such deal. [LNB]But when he became the manager in March 2002, his cut was reduced to five per cent. It was an arrangement that is not uncommon in football, particularly in the lower leagues.
