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Arsenal have denied any wrongdoing over allegations by the BBC Newsnight programme that they secretly gave Flemish club Beveren £1 million to act as a 'shop window' for young players from the Ivory Coast who make up the whole of the first team. Among them was Emmanual Eboué whom Arsenal bought for £1 million in January 2005. Fifa is to investigate the allegations and has the authority to impose a fine or other sanctions, but suggestions that Arsenal might be suspended from the Champions League seem premature. Newsnight did not disprove Arsenal's claims that they have loaned Beveren funds but do not control the club, which would be a breach of multiple ownership rules, while Belgian prosecutors have dropped their investigation which was originally prompted by the idea that criminal organisations might be involved.
Arsenal have never made any secret of a 'technical relationship' with Beveren which began in 2001 and ended in March of this year. A club statement read, 'This relationship has a number of benefits to both clubs, such as providing a platform to share coaching methods and techniques, as well as facilitating the option of players being loaned between the clubs. In addition, Arsenal confirms that it never owned, directly or indirectly, any shares in Beveren or had any power whatsoever to influence its management or administration. It did in 2001 provide €1,570,303 [about £1 million] by way of a loan to a member of a consortium who used the money to help stabilise the finances of Beveren.' The BBC programme alleged that the loan was made to Raoul de Waele, an associate of Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein, so that he could set up a company called Goal which bought 50 per cent of the Belgian club. The interest free loan was to be repaid from Goal's share of the profits from the sale of young players imported from the Ivory Coast.
Premier League guidelines prevent a club from owning shares in, making loans to, or being involved in the management of another British club, but do not cover involvement in overseas clubs. Football has long prohibited nursery clubs, but has the time now come to regularise such 'technical relationships' which might not only be beneficial to both parties but to the game as a whole? There has been a long-term decline in the money trickling down to lower league clubs through transfer fees. A relationship with a larger club might enable such clubs to survive and prosper.
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