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Friday, 22 September 2006, 07:18 GMT 08:18 UK

Liverpool ponder BBC legal action

Liverpool Liverpool have taken legal advice after featuring in BBC Panorama's investigation into football corruption.

The Reds could face FA charges after agent Peter Harrison was filmed touting Middlesbrough's England youth player Nathan Porritt to the Anfield club.

A club official was filmed expressing an interest in the player but boss Rafael Benitez is shocked the club were mentioned in the programme.

"We have taken legal advice because we were surprised," said Benitez.

The Spaniard, who says there is no place for corruption in football, added: "They have to find solutions.

"You have some rules but you can have good agents and bad agents, good managers and bad managers.

"If you talk about corruption, you can talk about a lot of things in life.

"There are good people and bad people and we have to continue with the good people."

Charlton manager Iain Dowie agrees with his Liverpool counterpart in saying anyone found guilty of taking a bung should feel the full force of the law.

"If it is so rife, then where is the evidence?"
Iain Dowie, Charlton manager

But he described the outcome of this week's Panorama investigation as "all hearsay and tittle-tattle".

"I do not think it is right if that goes on and am totally against it, but I do not see any evidence in the programme," Dowie insisted.

"There were no bank statements, no proof - if there is, then that is different.

"If there is black-and-white evidence, with payments made, then you have got what is coming to you because it is a job where you are well paid and it should not happen.

"If it is so rife, then where is the evidence?

"You hear everyone say that it goes on, but I have never experienced it.

"I've been offered cash as a bribe to bring a player to the club"
Karl Oyston, Blackpool chairman

"If someone was to say to me, 'We will offer you X, Y and Z' I would say that, one, I am not interested and two, I work for the football club.

"Furthermore, if someone did say to me 'Here is £200,000', I would not know what to do with it - I would probably put it under the bed."

The FA wants Blackpool chairman Karl Oyston to name names after he claimed he had been offered bungs.

And unlike Dowie, Oyston, who has been chairman of the League One side since 1999, believes the issue of bungs is still a major problem in football.

"I've been offered cash as a bribe to bring a player to the club and it's happened more than once," he said.

"In one instance, someone wanted me to take a player on a higher salary than we would normally pay, so he offered me a certain amount of cash as a gift to get me to do it."



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Related to this story:

Agent Harrison ready to sue BBC (22 Sep 06 |  Football )
Boro report agent to authorities (20 Sep 06 |  Football )
Allardyce denies Panorama claims (20 Sep 06 |  Football )
Football's original bung scandal (20 Sep 06 |  Football )
FA investigates BBC 'bung' claims (20 Sep 06 |  Football )
Where football goes from here (20 Sep 06 |  Football )
Panorama: Who is accused of what? (20 Sep 06 |  Football )
LMA wants evidence from Panorama (20 Sep 06 |  Football )
'Bung' reaction (20 Sep 06 |  Football )
Ex-police chief leads bungs probe (03 Mar 06 |  Premiership )
Agents claim manager was bribed (19 Sep 06 |  UK News )

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