Tottenham have been criticized for committing “potentially serious breaches of the rules for intermediaries” in a transfer 15 years ago.

As the Times reports, the club sold Jermaine Defoe to Portsmouth for £7.5 million, but agent Mitchell Thomas, who was one of the key figures in the deal, allegedly did not have an agent’s license.

No action was taken by the Football Association at the time, but it is understood that the FA are willing to investigate the allegations.

A Football Association (FA) spokesman said (via The Times):

“The case was settled 15 years ago by an independent arbitration tribunal.”

“The FA was not involved in the arbitration. It is unclear how much information was shared with the FA at the time and no disciplinary action was taken. If there is new evidence that was not available at the time that suggests there were serious breaches of our rules, we will review it.”

This is not the first such incident. In 2007, Luton Town were fined 10 points after the English Football Association (FA) accused the club of breaches relating to the payment of agents.

And in 2017, the owners of Leeds United were handed a one-year ban and a fine for breaching agent rules.

Both Tottenham and Portsmouth have declined to comment on the case at this stage, but it is a developing story.

Says TBH:

It remains to be seen what this means for Spurs and how it affects them, but it looks serious. This was the last thing they needed after the fresh start under Ange.