Harry Redknapp Won’t Go Down Without a Fight

Harry Redknapp has been arrested “on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud and false accounting,” as part of an ongoing investigation into corruption in football, according to this report from the Evening Standard. Also arrested were Portsmouth chief executive Peter Storrie, Rangers midfielder Amdy Faye, prominent agent Willie McKay, and Leicester City chairman Milan Mandaric. If you’re not impressed yet, just wait till you read this:

The Portsmouth manager and Leicester chairman were held in pre-dawn raids this morning which involved more than 60 officers from the City of London Police.

60 officers! Clearly the police have gotten the message I’ve been preaching all along. You can never underestimate Harry Redknapp!

More details as they emerge, unless they’re boring.

UPDATE: Portsmouth have confirmed the arrests. The investigation is believed to be zeroing in on Faye’s move from Auxerre to Portsmouth in 2005 and then to Newcastle in 2006. Since the total value of those transfers was just £3.5million, it’s a safe bet that, even if all the charges stick, this actually isn’t one of the worst instances of corruption in the recent history of football. This is the Premier League, after all. The third-youngest equipment manager at Derby has shoelaces that cost more than that.