SFA probes Stubbs deal

Celtic yesterday unveiled Alan Stubbs as their centre-half of the future, but his pounds 3.5m move from Bolton was almost immediately placed in doubt when the Scottish Football Association announced there would be an investigation into the deal because of the involvement of unlicenced agents.

The problem may arise because of the involvement of Neil and Ian Rioch - brothers of the Arsenal manager, Bruce. They have yet to pay the pounds 100,000 bond to gain a licence to handle transfers. That has caused a storm in the agent's community, many of whom are upset to have paid the cash while others have not.

A complaint was lodged with the SFA, which immediately started a full investigation on behalf of Fifa. If Celtic or Stubbs are found guilty, the penalties could be severe. The maximum fine for a player is pounds 30,000 with a possible year's suspension while the club can be banned from all competitions for a season.

Neil Rioch claimed last night that no wrong-doing had occurred and hoped to be cleared by the inquiry. He said: "I think we are OK. We are licensed under Phil Morrison [a licensed agent] and we would not have done it otherwise or jeopardised Alan's future."

However, the international agents' organisation, Iafa, is lobbying for an example to be made of a big club and a top player. Clare Tomlinson, of the Football Association, said yesterday: "The Riochs are not licensed. There was an application a year ago, but they never followed it up."

Bruce Rioch has been trailing Stubbs for most of the season and is thought to be frustrated at Arsenal's inability to make the signing. However, from the club's point of view, the alleged involvement of the manager's brothers in the transfer, and subsequent investigation, might be a cause of substantial embarrassment.

Stubbs is thought to have favoured a move to Arsenal, and even when he headed to Glasgow on Tuesday there was time for Arsenal to rescue the move, but key figures were abroad and Rioch learned Stubbs had chosen Celtic too late to prevent it.

Following the George Graham affair, Arsenal have opted to greatly reduce their manager's role in transfers, with David Dein, the vice-chairman, taking an active role. Rioch has found this frustrating, and while his contract remains unsigned an air of doubt will continue to hover over north London.

Francis for the Blues, page 27

Euro 96 ticket probe, page 3