Charlton manager Iain Dowie believes anyone found guilty of taking a bung should feel the full force of the law -but described the outcome of this week's BBC Panorama investigation as ``all hearsay and tittle-tattle''.
The television programme 'Undercover: Football's Dirty Secrets' claimed Bolton boss Sam Allardyce and his son Craig, until recently a football agent, were given illegal payments to facilitate player transfers. Allegations against Newcastle assistant manager Kevin Bond, Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp, Chelsea sporting director Frank Arnesen and Liverpool
Football Club of improper conduct were also made.The Football Association are to launch their own investigation, while Redknapp, Allardyce, Bond and Liverpool have all taken legal advice.
Dowie firmly believes the BBC show produced no firm evidence against his fellow Barclays Premiership managers.
``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 - it is all hearsay and title tattle,'' 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.''
Dowie declared: ``If it is so rife, then where is the evidence? ``The taxman has found #1,000 in my account which [Crystal] Palace overpaid me, so if you are talking about hundreds of thousands of pounds, then they are going to find that.
``If there is evidence, get it out. ``I understand Sam is going to defend himself vehemently, but for me there was not a lot to take into account other than someone talking about it.
``If that was in a court of law, for me, I do not think it would stand up. With both Sam and Harry, there has been a hell of a lot of mud thrown and there seems to be very little substance to it.''
Dowie, 41, had spells in charge of Oldham and Crystal Palace before he took
charge at The Valley this summer. The Charlton manager insists he has no first-hand evidence of any improper conduct.
Dowie said: ``You hear everyone say that it goes on, but I have never experienced it. `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.''
Dowie stressed: ``If someone is offering you money which could be taken off the transfer fee, then Charlton would be paying more than they have to. If you apply a business set of protocol, then you can stop it happening because you have got checks and balances.
``We have got a process here put in place which is very well audited in terms of checks along the way to ensure that there is transparency, then for me it is very difficult to hide anything.''
Bloomberg
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Comments
There has to be some transparency in the transfer market, if the FA can't deal with it then the government are going to get involved and they'll only make a mess of the situation by imposing a solution.