FA seeks officer to investigate malpractice

Big money scandals, such as the George Graham ‘bung’ affair, have prompted the Football Association to recruit a compliance officer to deal with its financial affairs.

The new Spurs manager (pictured above at White Hart Lane last week) was paid – but later paid back – more than #300,000 as part of a transfer deal. But the compliance officer position, which is designed to stamp out abuses, falls short of the financial ‘self-regulation unit’ originally proposed by ex-Metropolitan Police deputy commissioner Sir John Smith earlier this year.

Compliance and financial oversight are the responsibility of the FA’s membership committee, which examines club accounts annually when they re-apply for membership. One of the options the FA’s new finance director Michael Cunnah is considering, if the resources are available, would be to adopt a more active scrutiny process, similar to an internal audit committee in a private company.

Cunnah was also given responsibility for creating a financial advisory service.