Tottenham manager Redknapp stands trial for tax evasion

London: 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.

On Sunday he watched as Mario Balotelli escaped 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. 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.

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.

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 (Dh1.7 million) payment over the transfer of Rio Ferdinand from West Ham to Leeds United. 

Redknapp was West Ham manager when Ferdinand completed his £18 million 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.

Redknapp arrived at the court with his son Jamie. Richard Bevan, the CEO of the League Managers' Association, and three Tottenham officials were also there to support him. 

Redknapp joined Mandaric inside the bullet-proof glass booth opposite Judge Anthony Leonard. John Black, the QC leading the prosecution, began to present the Crown's case. 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.

Clauses in contract

The detail presented was dramatic and focused on the transfer of Peter Crouch from Portsmouth to Aston Villa and the fact Redknapp had clauses in his contracts that paid him a percentage of any net gain on the sale of a player. When he joined Portsmouth as their director of football in June 2001, said Black, he negotiated a deal with Mandaric that saw him receive ten per cent of any such deal.

But when he became the manager in March 2002, his cut was reduced to five per cent. Redknapp, the court heard, recruited Crouch from QPR in July 2001 for £1.25 million. Shortly after he then became the manager, the towering centre forward was sold to Villa for £4.5 million. The following month, Black said, Redknapp received his five per cent fee of £115,473. The tax and national insurance had been paid and the payment was detailed in the club accounts.

But then the court heard about a bank account in Monaco Black said Redknapp had flown to open in the tax haven four days after the £115,000 payment — and how a further payment was made by Mandaric into — Rosie 47 — an account name that refers to Redknapp's now deceased bulldog and the year of his birth. Black told the court of payments that were then made by Mandaric into the account, with particular focus on the timing of the initial payment of $145,000 and a further payment of $150,000.

The court also heard how at no point during that two-and-a-half year inquiry into the Ferdinand payment did Redknapp disclose the existence of his Monaco bank account. Both Redknapp and Mandaric, now the chairman of Sheffield Wednesday, deny the charges of tax evasion.

— Daily Mail