9 Feb 2012

Harry Redknapp found not guilty

4:59 am on 9 February 2012

The Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp has been cleared by a London court of tax evasion after a long investigation into allegations of financial corruption in British football.

Redknapp, tipped to be the next England manager, was charged with cheating the public revenue in relation to payments totalling more than 300 thousand dollars made to his bank account in Monaco during his time as Portsmouth manager.

After the verdict, Redknapp, one of the best known figures in English football, says the strain of the investigation had been horrendous as he fought back tears.

64-year-old Redknapp applauded the Tottenham directors and supporters for their backing after he and the former Portsmouth chairman Milan Mandaric were cleared of wrongdoing.

The verdict clears the way for Redknapp to replace Fabio Capello as manager of the England team after the Euro 2012 tournament this summer when the Italian is due to step down.