Source: Daily_Mail
Portsmouth owe £2m for sale of Diarra to Real with FIFA investigation pending
Portsmouth's crisis has deepened with claims that they are now the subject of a complaint to FIFA over one of many unpaid transfer fees. [LNB]And the finances of the cashstrapped club, who last week failed to pay player and staff wages on time for the third month in a row, will be further stretched by the £2 million they still owe to an agent for the sale of Lassana Diarra back in January. [LNB]But while the club's future looks precarious, chief executive Peter Storrie left last night for a two-week holiday in Australia, casting further doubt on his role at Portsmouth, with new director Mark Jacob and other associates of owner Ali Al-Faraj and financial backer Balram Chainrai taking the reins at Fratton Park. [LNB] Much-needed win: Pompey beat Burnley 2-0 in Saturday's early kick-off[LNB] Portsmouth 2 Burnley 0: Grant grateful to Hreidarsson and DindanePortsmouth secure loan to pay players wagesPompey in appeal to Tottenham to keep on-loan O'Hara beyond JanuarySacked boss Hart rejects chance to work with Fratton Park youngsters Portsmouth remain bottom of the Premier League and four points fromsafety, despite yesterday's much-needed 2-0 win over Burnley, and theongoing uncertainty off the field makes it increasingly unlikely thatthey will persuade the League to lift their transfer embargo or toraise money to buy new players in January even if it is lifted. [LNB]Club sources insist that they remain confident of agreeing arefinancing package with a bank and that Portsmouth are in a healthyposition relative to many other clubs because they have clearedlong-term debt of £40m to Standard Bank and Barclays. Intervention byfootball's world governing body, however, would take their problems toa new level. [LNB]In debt: Portsmouth owe agent involved in Diarra deal £2m[LNB][LNB]It is believed that French club Stade Rennais have complained toFIFA about alleged non-payment of an instalment on the £7m feePortsmouth agreed to pay them for Nigeria striker John Utaka in July2007, an offence which could bring a fine or a more severe sanction. [LNB]No-one at Stade Rennais was available for comment and Portsmouth said they had no knowledge of a FIFA complaint. [LNB]The Mail on Sunday canreveal that Portsmouth still owe French agent Jacques Perais most, ifnot all, of the 2.25m Euro commission they agreed to pay him for actingfor the club in the £20m sale of Diarra to Real Madrid. [LNB]Portsmouth failed to stick to the original payment schedule andnegotiated a new contract with Perais' London-based solicitors onOctober 22. [LNB]A first tranche of 325,000 Euros was supposed to be paid on November20, although no-one at Portsmouth could confirm whether the payment hadbeen made. [LNB]If the club missed the instalment, the revised contract says theymust pay back the full amount immediately. With Portsmouth also owingseven-figure sums to agent Pini Zahavi and the Stellar Group, questionswill again be asked about the financial management at Fratton Park inrecent years. [LNB]Last week, Portsmouth revealed that they paid agents £3,184,725between October 1, 2008, and September 30 this year, the eighth-highesttotal in the Premier League. [LNB]Portsmouth still owe Chelsea part of the sell-on fee after GlenJohnson went to Liverpool, as well as instalments on the signings ofUtaka and Younes Kaboul. [LNB] Portsmouth 2 Burnley 0: Grant grateful to Hreidarsson and DindanePortsmouth secure loan to pay players wagesPompey in appeal to Tottenham to keep on-loan O'Hara beyond JanuarySacked boss Hart rejects chance to work with Fratton Park youngsters [LNB] [LNB] Explore more:People:Glen Johnson, Peter Storrie, John Utaka, Younes KaboulPlaces:Liverpool, London, Nigeria, Australia, Fratton Park
