Post by Taxigirl on Jun 6, 2005 7:39:49 GMT
news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/t/tottenham_hotspur/4610893.stm
Former Premier League chief executive Peter Leaver has accused Chelsea of "breathtaking arrogance" over their alleged approach to Frank Arnesen.
Tottenham suspended their sporting director on Saturday, although Chelsea deny an illegal approach.
Leaver told BBC Five Live: "Where does the truth lie when one has had what happened over the Ashley Cole case?
"My problem is it is a breathtaking display of arrogance by Chelsea in the aftermath of the Ashley Cole affair."
Chelsea have insisted that they made an "official approach" to THFC for Arnesen to move to Stamford Bridge.
But a statement on the THFC website said: "This approach was made both prior to requesting permission and without permission from the club."
The story broke only days after Chelsea were fined £300,000 and handed a suspended three-point deduction for 'tapping up' Arsenal defender Ashley Cole.
And Leaver said that Chelsea's behaviour is damaging their relationship with the other Premier League clubs.
"I think if people behave well it doesn't really matter what their muscle is," added Leaver, who resigned as the Premier League's chief executive in March 1999.
"I think the real problem arrives when people start behaving arrogantly and behaving improperly and behaving badly.
"They have to live with 19 other clubs in the Premier League. The way they are going about things at the moment seems to me to make it very difficult to live with those clubs."
Leaver wants to see tests introduced to ensure that the right kind of people are working in football.
"It seems to me it is going to be inevitable that there should be a fit and proper qualification for anyone who is going to be involved in football administration," said Leaver.
"If there were such a test, as there is in financial services, the authorities would be looking very long and very hard at what is going on at Chelsea at the moment."
Former Tottenham director of football David Pleat believes that 'tapping up' happens all the time.
"I am surprised but there is no loyalty in football," said Pleat on BBC's Sportsweek.
"People have agreements and contracts but, inevitably, in 90% of the cases when they move they have already had the whisper and then comes the formal approach.
"I left last year in May and the following day Frank Arnesen was in place, so exactly the same thing happened when he left PSV Eindhoven.
"Unfortunately football does not stand up when you talk about loyalty."
And he suggested that THFC deserved better from Arnesen.
"I think Frank Arnesen, having secured a very good job in certain circumstances, has been rather disloyal to Tottenham - if he now needs to go and he is obviously going for one reason," added Pleat.
"When Frank was thinking of retiring from PSV, Tottenham came along and I introduced him to them, to speak to him about how the football director relationship works.
"They came back and were obviously quite seduced by Frank, gave Frank a terrific opportunity here to continue his career in that role, gave him a contract at whatever money and was more than happy to come.
"Now a few months later, he is more than happy to go and that stinks a little bit, doesn't it?"
Former Premier League chief executive Peter Leaver has accused Chelsea of "breathtaking arrogance" over their alleged approach to Frank Arnesen.
Tottenham suspended their sporting director on Saturday, although Chelsea deny an illegal approach.
Leaver told BBC Five Live: "Where does the truth lie when one has had what happened over the Ashley Cole case?
"My problem is it is a breathtaking display of arrogance by Chelsea in the aftermath of the Ashley Cole affair."
Chelsea have insisted that they made an "official approach" to THFC for Arnesen to move to Stamford Bridge.
But a statement on the THFC website said: "This approach was made both prior to requesting permission and without permission from the club."
The story broke only days after Chelsea were fined £300,000 and handed a suspended three-point deduction for 'tapping up' Arsenal defender Ashley Cole.
And Leaver said that Chelsea's behaviour is damaging their relationship with the other Premier League clubs.
"I think if people behave well it doesn't really matter what their muscle is," added Leaver, who resigned as the Premier League's chief executive in March 1999.
"I think the real problem arrives when people start behaving arrogantly and behaving improperly and behaving badly.
"They have to live with 19 other clubs in the Premier League. The way they are going about things at the moment seems to me to make it very difficult to live with those clubs."
Leaver wants to see tests introduced to ensure that the right kind of people are working in football.
"It seems to me it is going to be inevitable that there should be a fit and proper qualification for anyone who is going to be involved in football administration," said Leaver.
"If there were such a test, as there is in financial services, the authorities would be looking very long and very hard at what is going on at Chelsea at the moment."
Former Tottenham director of football David Pleat believes that 'tapping up' happens all the time.
"I am surprised but there is no loyalty in football," said Pleat on BBC's Sportsweek.
"People have agreements and contracts but, inevitably, in 90% of the cases when they move they have already had the whisper and then comes the formal approach.
"I left last year in May and the following day Frank Arnesen was in place, so exactly the same thing happened when he left PSV Eindhoven.
"Unfortunately football does not stand up when you talk about loyalty."
And he suggested that THFC deserved better from Arnesen.
"I think Frank Arnesen, having secured a very good job in certain circumstances, has been rather disloyal to Tottenham - if he now needs to go and he is obviously going for one reason," added Pleat.
"When Frank was thinking of retiring from PSV, Tottenham came along and I introduced him to them, to speak to him about how the football director relationship works.
"They came back and were obviously quite seduced by Frank, gave Frank a terrific opportunity here to continue his career in that role, gave him a contract at whatever money and was more than happy to come.
"Now a few months later, he is more than happy to go and that stinks a little bit, doesn't it?"