By Duncan Mackay
December 19 – Tottenham Hotspur have promised to support manager Harry Redknapp (pictured) after it was revealed that the taxman is to start proceedings against him next month.
Redknapp learned that he would have to go to court in the week beginning January 11 after he was quizzed by Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs (HMRC) investigators over unpaid tax.
In a statement from his solicitors BCL Burton Copeland tonight an angry Redknapp said he was “extremely surprised and disappointed” at the news.
He claimed the investigation would be shown to be “totally misconceived”.
The statement said: ”Harry Redknapp is extremely surprised and disappointed to have been informed that HMRC intend to institute proceedings against him in the week commencing January 11, 2010.
“We believe that the decision to commence proceedings will, in due course, be shown to have been totally misconceived.”
The unpaid tax relates to an alleged payment Redknapp received from former Portsmouth owner Milan Mandaric during his spell as manager there.
Revenue and Customs have been looking into an offshore payment made by Mandaric, investigating in the region of £10,000 unpaid tax on a bank account set up in Monaco.
Redknapp was arrested in November 2007 as part of Lord Stevens’ inquiry into corruption in football and was questioned by police over the matter in October, although Redknapp and Mandaric (pictured together) have repeatedly stressed their innocence .
A spokesman for Tottenham said the Premier League club considered it a private tax matter that was not related to football.
The spokesman said: “Harry’s position remains unaffected and he has the full support of the club.”
The case is the latest of Redknapp’s off-field problem to make headlines.
Redknapp won £1,000 in damages in the High Court over an “illegal” police raid on his home two years ago when he was at Portsmouth.
Earlier in the season speculation over his affairs and future sparked a flurry of bets on him becoming the first Premier League manager to leave his job.
Along with Redknapp, Mandaric, who now owns Coca-Cola Championship club Leicester City, and the Portsmouth chief executive, Peter Storrie, were arrested in November 2007.
Storrie was charged with tax evasion last month, with HMRC accusing him of cheating the public revenue by arranging for a signing-on fee for Amdy Faye to be paid via the bank account of the agent Willie McKay.
McKay has been cleared by police of any wrongdoing and will not face charges.
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