McLintock denies `bungs'; football

Frank McLintock yesterday denied the "bung" inquiry findings that he had given pounds 50,000 in cash to Nottingham Forest as part of the deal that took Teddy Sheringham to Tottenham.

The inquiry team found that the former Arsenal captain had received the cash - authorised by Terry Venables - and passed it to Forest's then assistant manager, Ronnie Fenton.

McLintock, Fenton and Sheringham were accused of lying to the inquiry team, denying the meeting had taken place and then giving misleading accounts about what went on.

McLintock yesterday vehemently rejected the inquiry findings and maintained his conduct had been entirely above board. McLintock told Radio Five Live: "I had been working for Spurs for the best part of a year and the culmination of that work was signing Teddy Sheringham for the club. Other agents will tell you that you don't always get paid for the work you do for a club but that deal gave me a chance to put pressure on Spurs. I told them that I wanted some money and that if I didn't get it the transfer wouldn't go through.

"But I didn't ask for cash. The money had to be declared to the tax and VAT authorities and a bankers' draft would have done. It came as cash, even though I hadn't asked for that, and I wasn't going to turn it down." Pressed on whether he denied the finding that he had passed the cash on to Fenton, McLintock replied: "That's right."

As to the charges that McLintock had attempted to mislead the inquiry, he added: "That meeting wasn't hidden at all. From day one I told the fraud squad and the inquiry that I had a meeting because Fenton had the medical papers.

"There's no question of me ever saying there was no meeting. To suggest I did is absolutely astounding. The findings are all based on rumour, innuendo and hearsay," he said. "Nothing would stand up in a court of law."

Catherine Riley