As the Arsenal-Beveren investigation starts to gather momentum, FIFA has told the English and Belgian football associations that they must first investigate the matter before the governing body can become involved. Word is that David Dein is on the warpath against himself and will leave no stone unturned.
The whole thing surrounds the fine line between a feeder club, which most big sides have, and an actual controlling stake in another football club – which we all know is essentially the same thing bar a few legal discrepancies. After BBC Newsnight broke the story, Arsenal have denied the accusations while admitting they did loan the club money in 2001. But Goons really shouldn’t be worried at all, Sports Minister Richard Caborn feels the whole situation just reinforces the desires of the European Football Review, which has called for greater transparency and better governance in footballing matters.
He said: ‘I’m not making any allegations against Arsenal at all, but the whole issue supports the findings of the review and just highlights the need for greater transparency, clear regulations and proper governance in the game.’
Part of the fuss probably stems from the lovely shenanigans being brought to light over in Serie A, but it would be surprising if Arsenal end up facing any kind of action at all.