Hasslebank

[Kinky Gerbil]

Actually, just read the transcript.

He is in deep shit.

 

[Rodney Thomas]

Actually, just read the transcript.

He is in deep shit.

Where did you find that?

 

[Kinky Gerbil]

Where did you find that?

McGarvey told him: “I can go anywhere I want, travel the world and sign some good young players… I want to bring you a player, it’s got to be right, everything’s gonna be done properly and it’s got to be looked after properly, and you’ve got no headache.”

The agent said the undercover reporter representing the fictitious Far East firm was “going to be an integral part of this, with me”, adding: “I’ve got a list of players I’d like to talk to you about. You don’t want a centre forward do you?” Hasselbaink replied that he did need a centre forward, as well as players in other positions.

Then the conversation turned to the “business” of Hasselbaink flying to Singapore to deliver a talk to investors in the firm. The Dutchman said: “You said the word business. That’s all, it’s business, so it depends what you put down, you know… at the end of the day, it has to be worthwhile to go all [that] way…”

“It depends what the cheque says, you know? It just depends what has to be done, but if it’s an international week I can give them Sunday, Monday, Tuesday off.”

He was offered £35,000-£40,000 per trip and replied: “I think you have to do better than that… “Look, just try to make me happy. Cos you come up with a nice figure, you know. The 35 is… you know?” Asked if £50,000-£55,000 would be acceptable, he said: “You’re getting warmer. I think, for me to do a good job and also be comfortable, OK I’m going to be three days away, that kind of stuff and, you know international week is also the time when I do spend a lot of time with the family. “It also depends whether I can be paid in Holland?

“If I do work abroad I can receive money abroad, and if I do work here then I have to receive it here, and I have to pay tax here. If I do work abroad and receive it abroad, in my bank account in Holland, then if I bring it back here I have a way of only paying between 10 and 15 per cent [tax], instead of paying 45 [per cent]. Because it makes a big difference.”

Told it would not be a problem to pay him in the Netherlands, he said: “Well that makes it a little bit easier. Then 55 is not bad.”

The reporter said: “And obviously anything that you would be able to have a look at other aspects of our business favourably that would be appreciated.”

Hasselbaink, who had been told the fictitious firm had interests in construction and property as well as sport, replied: “I didn’t have the time yet but I’m going to Google you.” Mr McGarvey chipped in: “What we’re trying to do is build a relationship with you, going forward… we’ll give you a player as well.” Hasselbaink said: “Give me a ----ing player. A good player.”

The discussion moved on to a football scout Hasselbaink knew in the Netherlands who spotted talented teenagers. The QPR boss said: “You need clubs, though. If you own a club then it’s easier to move the player.” He said to the scout: “He’s now like him [pointing to Mr McGarvey], on the wrong side. You know. The dodgy side. So yeah, so I help him out a little bit.”

Hasselbaink, twice leading scorer in the Premier League, started his managerial career at Royal Antwerp in Belgium in 2013, before he took over at Burton Albion, winning promotion to League One, then moved to QPR in December 2015.

A spokesman for Mr McGarvey said: “Your reporters raised the prospect of well-known football managers travelling to the Far East for the purpose of making speeches to audiences who would comprise clients and connections to the investment business. Our client understood that you saw the value of such individuals attending for that purpose, given the profile and brand of English football in the Far East.

“Our client did recognise that a benefit to such engagements could be the development of personal connections with such managers which may assist in the environment where knowledge, professional opinion and networks have real value.

“There was no suggestion that engaging such managers on these terms was a way of rewarding managers in circumstances where it would be improper for them to be so rewarded.”

Mr Hasselbaink said there was nothing unusual about agreeing to make a speech and denied any wrongdoing.



Last night QPR said it was launching an internal investigation into the matter but said "we have every confidence in our manager".

Damian Collins, of the Commons culture and sport committee, said the practice of a manager taking money from a firm involved in player transfers was “a clear conflict of interest”. and should be banned.

 

[luge]

Unless they have some concrete evidence, not sure what's wrong about this. Morally wrong, yes. Legally, not so much.

McGarvey told him: “I can go anywhere I want, travel the world and sign some good young players… I want to bring you a player, it’s got to be right, everything’s gonna be done properly and it’s got to be looked after properly, and you’ve got no headache.”

The agent said the undercover reporter representing the fictitious Far East firm was “going to be an integral part of this, with me”, adding: “I’ve got a list of players I’d like to talk to you about. You don’t want a centre forward do you?” Hasselbaink replied that he did need a centre forward, as well as players in other positions.

Then the conversation turned to the “business” of Hasselbaink flying to Singapore to deliver a talk to investors in the firm. The Dutchman said: “You said the word business. That’s all, it’s business, so it depends what you put down, you know… at the end of the day, it has to be worthwhile to go all [that] way…”

“It depends what the cheque says, you know? It just depends what has to be done, but if it’s an international week I can give them Sunday, Monday, Tuesday off.”

He was offered £35,000-£40,000 per trip and replied: “I think you have to do better than that… “Look, just try to make me happy. Cos you come up with a nice figure, you know. The 35 is… you know?” Asked if £50,000-£55,000 would be acceptable, he said: “You’re getting warmer. I think, for me to do a good job and also be comfortable, OK I’m going to be three days away, that kind of stuff and, you know international week is also the time when I do spend a lot of time with the family. “It also depends whether I can be paid in Holland?

“If I do work abroad I can receive money abroad, and if I do work here then I have to receive it here, and I have to pay tax here. If I do work abroad and receive it abroad, in my bank account in Holland, then if I bring it back here I have a way of only paying between 10 and 15 per cent [tax], instead of paying 45 [per cent]. Because it makes a big difference.”

Told it would not be a problem to pay him in the Netherlands, he said: “Well that makes it a little bit easier. Then 55 is not bad.”

The reporter said: “And obviously anything that you would be able to have a look at other aspects of our business favourably that would be appreciated.”

Hasselbaink, who had been told the fictitious firm had interests in construction and property as well as sport, replied: “I didn’t have the time yet but I’m going to Google you.” Mr McGarvey chipped in: “What we’re trying to do is build a relationship with you, going forward… we’ll give you a player as well.” Hasselbaink said: “Give me a ----ing player. A good player.”

The discussion moved on to a football scout Hasselbaink knew in the Netherlands who spotted talented teenagers. The QPR boss said: “You need clubs, though. If you own a club then it’s easier to move the player.” He said to the scout: “He’s now like him [pointing to Mr McGarvey], on the wrong side. You know. The dodgy side. So yeah, so I help him out a little bit.”

Hasselbaink, twice leading scorer in the Premier League, started his managerial career at Royal Antwerp in Belgium in 2013, before he took over at Burton Albion, winning promotion to League One, then moved to QPR in December 2015.

A spokesman for Mr McGarvey said: “Your reporters raised the prospect of well-known football managers travelling to the Far East for the purpose of making speeches to audiences who would comprise clients and connections to the investment business. Our client understood that you saw the value of such individuals attending for that purpose, given the profile and brand of English football in the Far East.

“Our client did recognise that a benefit to such engagements could be the development of personal connections with such managers which may assist in the environment where knowledge, professional opinion and networks have real value.

“There was no suggestion that engaging such managers on these terms was a way of rewarding managers in circumstances where it would be improper for them to be so rewarded.”

Mr Hasselbaink said there was nothing unusual about agreeing to make a speech and denied any wrongdoing.



Last night QPR said it was launching an internal investigation into the matter but said "we have every confidence in our manager".

Damian Collins, of the Commons culture and sport committee, said the practice of a manager taking money from a firm involved in player transfers was “a clear conflict of interest”. and should be banned.

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

Is the big fee for the speech just a way to channel any bung ?

 

[Goldstone1976]

Is the big fee for the speech just a way to channel any bung ?

I think that's the implication, but I don't see anything that explicitly says that in the (part of?) transcript above. If I want to, I can read that implication into what JFH says; if I don't want to, then it's easy enough to say it doesn't exist. IF QPR's Board want to get rid of him there's probably just about enough for them to get huffy about, but only just. Their public statements so far suggest they don't want to, so I think he stays.

JFH talks about having to pay tax on the fee (albeit trying to minimise it by being paid in the Netherlands, which he's right to say would be allowable if the work was performed abroad, which it seems it would have been). Talking about tax avoidance (not evasion) in a conversation doesn't strike me as someone who's all that dodgy. The Barnsley AM allegedly taking a brown envelope is far more dodgy.

All imo, ofc.

 

[WonderingSoton]

i must admit if this latest lot of revelations are the juiciest they have got, then its all a bit of an overhyped anti climax

This.
The initial big bang of "look at us, we've got Big Sam AND 8 other big managers" looks a bit silly right now.
Maybe there is more to come.

 

[Ninja Elephant]

I think this story is entrapment, plain and simple. They're going after people with fictitious stories and they're looking to generate news. Personally, I think the conduct of the Telegraph is a disgrace. They're going after people to ruin their careers and with it, their life. Obviously Big Sam will recover, as will Jimmy if he gets the can, but it's not right.

I think the whole thing is out of order.

 

[super-seagulls]

I think this story is entrapment, plain and simple. They're going after people with fictitious stories and they're looking to generate news. Personally, I think the conduct of the Telegraph is a disgrace. They're going after people to ruin their careers and with it, their life. Obviously Big Sam will recover, as will Jimmy if he gets the can, but it's not right.

I think the whole thing is out of order.

WHAT??

You cannot 'entrap' an honest man!

Don't shoot the messenger.
Would you rather these guys just carry on milking the game for personal gain? That is what is 'out of order'!

The conduct of the reporters is irrelevant, if 'Big Sam' had any morales and was not greedy, there would not be a story and he would still have a job.

 

[Ernest]

Until they name the Premier 8 this doesn't mean a thing, if they're that sure of what they've done SPLASH the 8 names on the front page and see who sues

 

[theboybilly]

I think this story is entrapment, plain and simple. They're going after people with fictitious stories and they're looking to generate news. Personally, I think the conduct of the Telegraph is a disgrace. They're going after people to ruin their careers and with it, their life. Obviously Big Sam will recover, as will Jimmy if he gets the can, but it's not right.

I think the whole thing is out of order.

Agree with this. Matthew Syed in the Times said the FA should have stood by Allardyce as he hadn't done anything illegal. Syed said he'd had at least 50 conversations with managers and agents in the past over 3rd Party ownership of players and the practice was common knowledge in the game. There was nothing in the clips shown that implicated Big Sam in anything untoward - he was just stupid and naïve to get drawn in by a scam.

 

[BensGrandad]

Agree with this. Matthew Syed in the Times said the FA should have stood by Allardyce as he hadn't done anything illegal. Syed said he'd had at least 50 conversations with managers and agents in the past over 3rd Party ownership of players and the practice was common knowledge in the game. There was nothing in the clips shown that implicated Big Sam in anything untoward - he was just stupid and naïve to get drawn in by a scam.

I agree with Matthew Syed the Telegraph and FA both just hung Sam out for judgement with no sound grounds

 

[Thunder Bolt]

Agree with this. Matthew Syed in the Times said the FA should have stood by Allardyce as he hadn't done anything illegal. Syed said he'd had at least 50 conversations with managers and agents in the past over 3rd Party ownership of players and the practice was common knowledge in the game. There was nothing in the clips shown that implicated Big Sam in anything untoward - he was just stupid and naïve to get drawn in by a scam.

There is one thing that Sam Allerdyce is not, and that is naive. He knew exactly what he was doing. He got greedy and got caught out.


Hasselbank is being investigated by QPR.

 

[swindonseagull]

Whats the Leeds owner supposed to have done?