Soccer: Slicing through the murky side

One of England's leading football agents has urged the Football Association to flush out any corruption in the game.

The industry has come under the spotlight again following reports that BBC Panorama investigators duped agents and officials into discussing the payment of illegal kickbacks.

Phil Smith, the chief operating officer of the First Artist agency, insists the FA is not clamping down hard enough.

Smith told BBC Five Live: "It is a perennial problem in our industry and it just needs to be flushed out."

Luton Town manager Mike Newell has called on England's top clubs to take the lead in the fight against corruption in football. Newell shocked the game in January when he revealed he had been offered kickbacks by agents and his comments led to an inquiry into murky dealings within the sport. The results of the investigation will be revealed at a meeting on October 2.

- INDEPENDENT