Football: Bayern broke rules to sign Klinsmann

Bayern Munich face possible censure from Fifa, the governing body of world football, for making what may have been an illegal approach for Jurgen Klinsmann while he was a Tottenham Hotspur player.

Fifa announced yesterday that Bayern committed an infringement to article 13.1 of Fifa regulations regarding transfers, and referred the matter to their disciplinary committee for further deliberation. However Fifa also ruled that Tottenham will receive no more than pounds 1.4m for Klinsmann, and that the German international striker was perfectly within his rights to end his association with Spurs after only one year at White Hart Lane.

Klinsmann's return to Germany last May has led to a bitter row between him and the Spurs chairman Alan Sugar, with Sugar claiming Spurs were entitled to up to pounds 6m under Fifa's complicated rules concerning transfer fees. However Fifa disclosed that Klinsmann's contract with Spurs contained a provision that they would be willing to release him any time after the first year (30 June, 1995) on condition that they received a transfer fee of $2m (pounds 1.4m). This contract was sent to Fifa by Spurs themselves.

Sepp Blatter, the Fifa general secretary, said: "The wording of this contract clearly contradicts Tottenham Hotspur's own argumentation; it has therefore to be admitted that it was really the intention of the parties to fix the compensation in advance. It was Tottenham's own fault that they included such provision in the employment contract they had signed with the player, whatever the reasons for such a step would have been." A Fifa statment added that "no reproach can be made against the player as to his behaviour in this case."

Everton last night put the Andrei Kanchelskis transfer tug-of-war in the hands of the Premier League's lawyers. Manchester United have called off the Ukrainian winger's pounds 5m move to Goodison Park after a dispute over who pays a pounds 1.1m sell-on fee to his former club, Shakhtyor Donetsk, who sold the 26-year-old to the Old Trafford side four years ago.

Everton claim they have increased their bid for Kanchelskis, but have been obliged to refer the deal to arbitrators after failing to break the deadlock. A statement from the Merseyside club said: "The resolution to our differences over the transfer of Andrei Kanchelskis cannot be possible. The two chairmen agreed a transfer deal on 20 July. On 27 July Manchester United informed us of a brand new development and this formed the basis of the dispute.

"Despite our offer of a compromise, it appears that no solution can be found. Therefore Everton Football Club have no alternative than to refer the matter to the Premier League." Kanchelskis trained behind closed doors with Everton yesterday, despite being asked to report for training at United.

n Celtic have signed Falkirk's out-of-contract central defender John Hughes. The fee is likely to be fixed by a tribunal.