FA Back Down on Paul Stretford Charges

The FA may face a costs bill of more than £500,000 after the governing body withdrew charges of bringing the game into disrepute against Wayne Rooney’s agent Paul Stretford at the high court.

The FA brought a number of charges against Stretford after the collapse of a blackmail trial at Warrington Crown Court last year at which he was the chief prosecution witness. The trial related to Stretford’s signing of Rooney as a client but the trial judge dismissed the agent’s evidence as unreliable.

Stretford is challenging the FA’s right to discipline him in private for alleged breaches of its rules and regulations, claiming that this constitutes a breach of his human rights under European law. At the start of the second day of the hearing yesterday the FA’s lawyers "voluntarily withdrew" a number of charges arising from Stretford’s evidence in Warrington, conceding that they could not be brought without a direction from the original trial judge. Stretford’s legal team are now considering an application to force the FA to pay his costs and privately they are delighted that the charges they consider most serious may not apply.

The FA insisted last night that it had not acted unlawfully in bringing the charges and said it would be seeking a direction from the Warrington trial judge to pursue the charges withdrawn yesterday. Whether Stretford faces any of the charges against him in a private FA tribunal or open court - a more important issue for the future of the FA’s disciplinary system - depends on the judge’s verdict, expected in the next month.

No room for Olsson

Uefa’s chief executive Lars-Christer Olsson was in London yesterday for the launch of Richard Caborn’s pan-European inquiry into football but he selflessly returned to Switzerland before last night’s Chelsea-Barcelona match. Despite the sensitivity surrounding the match he was happy to leave the fallout to others. "We have so many executive committee members already at Stamford Bridge that there was no need for me to go," he said.

The Caborn inquiry is one of at least four investigations into the game putting food on the table of hungry lawyers, but Olsson is hopeful that this EC-backed initiative will help football face the threat of money laundering. "There is so much money washing about in football that we are an obvious target for money laundering, but without legislative help it is hard for us to protect ourselves," he said.

Lloyd foiled and furious

David Lloyd is a vocal if self-serving critic of Roger Draper’s cozy move from the chief executive’s chair at Sport England to the same role at the LTA. Lloyd claims he was perfect for the job but was not considered as John Crowther’s replacement. So who was? The LTA president Stuart Smith has reassured the sports minister Richard Caborn that, though the post was not advertised, more than one candidate was considered. The identity of the failed applicants is a mystery, however.

Carayol cure for chairman

A Football League initiative to increase the number of children watching matches has helped 150,000 young fans to attend games since it was launched in September. The Fans of the Future scheme has the backing of the majority of league clubs and a conference at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena today will discuss its progress. René Carayol hosts the event; as presenter of the BBC2 series Pay Off Your Mortgage In Two Years he might have some useful advice for club chairmen.

Olympic ties still in vogue

Seven months on from the decisive vote in Singapore and official London 2012 ties remain in fashion. Richard Caborn sported his yesterday at the launch of a review of European football and barely a week goes by without the prime minister appearing in the Jeff Banks-designed neckwear. The last confirmed sighting was at a Downing Street reception for Franz Beckenbauer this month.