HARRY REDKNAPP won the biggest fight of his life yesterday - and a few hours later saw the pathway to the England manager’s job cleared by Fabio Capello’s resignation from the national post.
After five hours of deliberations, the jury at Southwark Crown Court cleared Tottenham manager Redknapp and co-defendant Milan Mandaric of all wrongdoing in the tax evasion trial which has been hanging over Redknapp’s head since November 2007.
The question at that point was when, rather than if, he would take over the England reins as the verdict arrived just as Capello was heading into Wembley for crunch talks with FA chairman David Bernstein.
They met following the ongoing row over the handling of John Terry, now deposed as England captain, as a result of his racial abuse charge.
Bookmakers stopped taking bets on Redknapp becoming England’s next boss but the FA have a fight on their hands if they want to prise him from White Hart Lane before the end of the season.
 I’m looking forward to going home and getting on with my life.  |
Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp |
Despite there being only 16 months left to run on his contract, Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy has made no secret of the fact he will demand full compensation if England come knocking for his manager.
Yesterday, the club released a simple statement. “Everyone at the club is delighted for Harry and his family,” it said.
“We are pleased to see this resolved and look forward to the rest of the season.”
Redknapp himself was merely focused on getting home to see his wife Sandra after emerging from Southwark Crown Court shortly after midday yesterday.
“It has been a nightmare,” he said. “I’m looking forward to going home and getting on with my life.”
Redknapp insisted that the case “should never have come to court” but after emerging from the dock in Court One he had shaken hands with the detective inspector who led the case against him, insisting there were no hard feelings as he was doing his job.
Co-defendant Mandaric did likewise and paid tribute to the justice system before heading off to the Hilton in Park Lane to celebrate with his daughter Yasmina and staff from Sheffield Wednesday, where he is now the chairman.
“I have to try to pinch myself and wake up from the horrible dream,” said Mandaric.
“I always believed in the truth and also believed in the British justice system.”
Mandaric and former Portsmouth chief executive Peter Storrie, it emerged, had been cleared of wrongdoing in an earlier tax evasion trial concerning Eyal Berkovic’s contract termination fee.
Storrie was also cleared of failing to pay tax on the signing-on fee to former Portsmouth midfielder Amdy Faye in a hearing last October.
Reporting restrictions had been put in place until yesterday’s conclusion of the trial in Southwark.
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