I’ve been following the “bung” “sensation” in football, after the Panorama programme on BBC recently and the whole thing stinks of the media trying to pick a fight to get viewers and sell newspapers.

Football is business – big business. In any big business, people offer and give sweetners all the time. That’s a fact. Corporate entertainment, seminars in exotic locations, cash, gifts, whatever.

Football agents: for goodness sake – the clue is in the bloomin’ title! Agent – commission – sales. Come on. What do you expect? Some football players get £100k per week these days – plus commercial endorsement deals etc. It attracts seedy little agents who are trying to cream off the top and are willing to pay to seal a deal. It’s natural – not nice – but natural market forces. It’s like being aghast that prostitutes exist – of course they do! They’ve got something and people are willing to pay for it. It’d be nice if everything was fair … but it’s not, so get used to it!

I’d also like to say that that particular programme didn’t really show much evidence – it was all hearsay and bravado. The Chelsea and Liverpool “tapping up” was ridiculous. An agent says to Chelsea’s Frank Arnesen: “here’s a very good young player, and he wants to leave Middlesbrough – would you like him?”. Frank says he would like him … and? Where’s the scandal?! Agent asks Harry Redknapp if he would like Andy Todd from Blackburn – Harry says he would. So what? 100% of managers would like Ronaldinho – lock ‘em up! He didn’t make or ask for any offers. There was no money anywhere.

If someone is caught handing over a bag of money to a manager, and a deal is subsequently done … then prosecute them both. They know the risks. Otherwise, leave it!! They’re trouble making.