Football Bribes Gang Walk Free

Former Barnsley FC assistant coach Tommy Wright has been spared jail after being convicted of soccer corruption with a former Italian match fixer. Wright, 53, received a £5,000 in bribes after a journalist set up a meeting with him during the Daily Telegraph’s ‘football for sale’ probe in September 2016.

The money was paid in return for his help in persuading Barnsley to sign players which the reporter claimed she acted for Wright was working with two unregistered agents- Italian match fixer Giuseppe ‘Pino’ Pagliara, 64, and Dan Price, 48.

Wright today received a 12 month suspended sentence for two counts of bribery while Price, was given an 18 months suspended sentence and Pagliara was sentenced to two years imprisonment suspended for two years for two counts of bribery after a seven week trial.

The newspaper sting led to Sam Allardyce, resigning from his position as the manager of the England team.

Former Leicester City and Leeds Utd winger Wright was assistant head coach of Barnsley FC at the time of the probe and now works in the same position for League Two side Carlisle Utd.

The Scot had admitted he was ‘very excited’ during his dealings with the reporter as they discussed a fictional consortium called Meiran.

He said he was being paid for his opinion about players but accepted he was stupid to accept cash without paperwork or a contract.

Brian O’Neil QC, prosecuting, said: ‘Mr Wright abused his significant position of trust within Barnsley football club and his co-defendants, by bribing him, definitely encouraged him to do so.

‘Motivated by expectation of financial gain, Mr Price and Mr Pagliara expected to receive significant agency fees and they expected to gain significant other services.

‘An agreement with Mr Wright was motivated by gain of £5,000, which he was paid and with the prospect of future, further payments.

‘There was a risk of undermining the functioning of Barnsley football club for significant intended financial gain,’ he added.

Pagliara was part of a soccer corruption gang that fixed a Series B game in 2005.

The Italian, then the general manager of Venezia FC was given a five-year ban from football for ensuring that his side lost to Genoa FC in the final game of the season.

He had been caught leaving a meeting with Genoa’s chairman after a match with a briefcase containing €250,000.

The agent had boasted that he once gave Sir Alex Ferguson a £30,000 gold Rolex watch after fixing a Manchester United match against Juventus in the Champions League.

Pagliara also claimed he had bribed other high profile managers including Steve McClaren, Antonio Conte and Steve Bruce during taped meetings with undercover reporters.

There was no evidence to support his claims and giving evidence he claimed he was only ‘grandstanding’ when he boasted about bribing managers.

Price denied bribing Wright and was described by a former colleague at British Airways as a ‘stupid and naive’ businessman who always fell flat on his face like Del Boy Trotter.

Telegraph reporter Claire Newell posed as a businesswoman representing foreign investors using the alias Claire Taylor as she recorded meetings involving Wright and the agents.

The journalist placed the envelope on the seat they are sharing during a meeting with Wright and the two agents.

The footage shows her putting the envelope down and saying: ‘Thanks for your help.’

Wright, doesn’t look at it but replies: ‘Cheers, just leave it there.’

For more than ten minutes Wright doesn’t touch the envelope in the busy dining room at the Queen’s Hotel, Leeds on August 11.

The footage shows him scratching his inner thigh, crossing his legs and stretching his arms on the banquette.

Wright is then seen leaving with the envelope in his beige bomber jacket pocket.

Price and Pagliara discuss with Mr Wright what the money is for and how much was in the envelope after Wright leaves the hotel.

During the trial Fulham centre back Alfie Mawson told jurors Wright promised him £10,000 a week if he moved from Barnsley to rivals Leeds United.

The former Tykes defender claimed Wright tried to talk him into making the big money move by gesticulating from the side of the pitch as he warmed up for a match in 2016.

Mawson told the court the attempt to engineer his Leeds move was ‘awkward’ and ‘didn’t feel legitimate’.

He said he was told the proposed move could only go through if he left his current agents Mike Drew and Bobby Bowry and signed with Price instead.

Defending Tommy Wright, Lewis Power QC said: ‘To say this case has devastated him and his family is a gross understatement.

‘Mr Wright was of exemplary character, he had long standing charity links, a passion for growing talent and a 30 year career.

‘This was out of character, he was present at four meetings, he did not have direct contact, he is not a business man as demonstrated by his manner and demeanour in the trial, he was somewhat manipulated by others and I say no more about that.

‘What this has done is suffer great reputational damage.

‘The personal letter that he sent to your honour speaks of the shame and embarrassment on him and others, it truly has been a high fall from grace.

‘Mr Wright’s current club Swindon FC are standing by him, he’s always been an assistant manager by and large, he provides for his wife and family.

‘Prison would impact on the club losing a coach when they are doing really well in Division Two.

‘He has suffered the punishment of losing £120,000 a year job, he now knows that he earns £30,000 a year and will get a £5,000, an ironic figure, bonus from Swindon.

‘One would be hard pushed not to be moved by the desperation of his family.

Mr Power read Wright’s letter to the judge to the court, it read: ‘Whilst I’m still very much in shock by the guilty verdict, I have got over the guilty verdict, I have come to realise that by naivety I became involved in something that was very much over my head.’

‘I’m deeply sorry and thoroughly ashamed for the great embarrassment for my family, but also for the wider football community, I am truly mortified.

‘Football is my passion I am motivated by success on the field and the development of players, never by money, after I became coach nothing has been more gratifying than motivating a player and watching him flourish.

‘I have now totally destroyed that reputation and it fills me with deep sadness that I ruined a 30 year career over a number of days.’

Mr Power continued: ‘If today an immediate sentence is imposed it effectively is analogous to a life sentence for a 54-year-old man.

‘The punishment thus far has been colossal and severe, his salary is £30,000 per year, he has been legally aided in this case.

‘He can give back he could give some added value to those young people if he can give back, he could give a second chance to someone who has never offended before.’

Pagliara’s barrister Nathaniel Rudolf said: ‘The reality is it’s one bribe of ten thousand pounds, half of which was paid, half of which wasn’t.

‘It’s very important that the court is not left under any impression that blame is to be shifted elsewhere, but in considering the culpability, harm, ect. it is important to factor in that without Meiron and the Telegraph money the offences wouldn’t have occurred.

Pagliara has ‘zero’ finances to pay court costs and lives in social housing in Bury with his wife, living from her pension and housing benefits, said Mr Rudolf.

‘In motivation for financial gain, I suggest hope more than expectation, significant financial gain there was hoped to be, but the truth is that the agency fees, for the purposes of the offence itself, there wasn’t gain to be had,’ he added.

Mr Rudolf reminded the court that the jury had been ordered not to hold Pagliara’s acts of corruption in Venice in 2000 against him.

Pagliara has a ‘selfless and caring’ nature, read a letter from his son-in-law, who also referred to the former Venice manager rushing into a burning house to save two vulnerable people many years ago.

’It was specifically disallowed as reprehensible conduct for the purposes of this trial, it was at its highest a civil finding by a regulatory body,’ concluded Mr Rudolf.

‘He was clearly so keen to have a football club and financial security after having to move so many times.

‘I submit there was little harm as this could not have come to pass.’

Wright joined Leeds United as a youngster and went onto to play professional football for the likes of Oldham, Middlesbrough, Bradford and Leicester City.

His father, also Tommy Wright, was a well known footballer from the 1950s and played for Sunderland and Scotland.

Wright, of Dark Lane, Barnsley, South Yorks, denied but was convicted of two counts of bribery.

Price, of Susans Lane, Sittingbourne, Kent, and Pagliara, of East Drive, Bury, both denied but were convicted of two counts of offering to pay a bribe.

Judge Jeffrey Pegden QC said: ’You Pagliara and price fall to be sentenced for two matters of offending by promising to give financial advantage to Mr Wright. £5,000 was actually given as a bribe in August 2016, another £5,000 was promised.

‘You Wright fall to be sentenced for accepting the bribe and for agreeing to receive a further £5,000.

‘You were all convicted by verdict by a jury after a trial last year which lasted around eight weeks.

‘In 2015 to 2016 the Daily Telegraph investigated allegations of bribery and corruption in English football in 2016 a senior female undercover journalist as representative of a sports management company promising to invest in clubs or players in the United Kingdom.

‘At that time you Pagliara and Price were experienced football agents and had become business partners.

‘You Pagliara were very keen to meet the female journalist when she first made contact with you at the beginning of May 2016.

‘Indeed you took Price along with you, you had met him four months earlier and formed a business relationship.

‘Wright at that time were the assistant manager of Barnsley FC who played in the Champions League in 2016 to 2017.

‘From that very first meeting with the journalist at the beginning of May 2016 you Pagliara and you Price revealed your awareness of corruption in the football player transfer market and a willingness to be involved in it.

‘It could be said that you boasted about willingness to be involved in corrupt practices.

‘With the under cover journalist you promised your aim was to become players’ agents and buy players as a third-party.

‘Bribery and corruption was the means through which that would happen.

‘Persons who would assist with this were indicated, that was you Mr Wright, you received a £5,000 bribe in likely of account of the matters which I just spoke, with further discussions about a similar payment later on.

‘You Mr Wright gave information about the business players you encouraged players to use Pagliara and Price as agents.’

Pagliara was told he played a ‘leading role’ and involved Price by ‘taking him along,’

Judge Pegden said they encouraged Wright to ‘abuse his trust’ with the ‘expectation of substantial financial gain’.

He added: ‘There was only a remote risk of undermining the Barnsley Football Club, there was significant intended financial gain certainly for you Pagliara and Price the audio transcript makes that very clear indeed.

‘You intended to mislead the public and Barnsley Football Club by saying they encouraged you to give the bribe.’

The judge told Pagliara: ‘Solely because of your caring for your wife, the sentencing will be suspended for two years, with 300 hours community service and a curfew between 7pm and 7am ,electronically tagged for four months.’

He told Price: ‘You were a lower league agent who lacked sophistication in offending, with degree of naivety and prone to exaggeration.

‘Because of the undoubted harm that immediate incarceration would do to the relationship with your family that you have strived to achieve, they should not be punished for your serious offending.’

Turning to Wright the judge said: ‘You are of previous exemplary character, you have many admirable qualities, a devotion to football and development of young players, your life is family, church and football, this case without doubt cost you very dearly indeed.

‘Again you of course had to endure three years awaiting outcome of trial, your letter reveals your deep sense of shame and embarrassment for utterly foolish actions which were out of character.

‘You brought shame to football in the United Kingdom as you readily accept and massive disruption to those dearest to you.

‘You have paid a very heavy price, not only in money terms but also in relation to your family, church and football.

‘Your wife’s moving letter to me makes all that very dear indeed, I hope that can continue to work with young people at Swindon Town Football Club, that is what the court would wish, I hope it can only be.

Judge Pegden concluded: ‘None of you should think that because I have taken the wholly exceptional course of suspending the inevitable sentences of custody, that decision of the court detracts in any way from the seriousness of the offences and the gravity with which the court will regard any cases of corruption in future.’

Wright, of Dark Lane, Barnsley, South Yorks, denied but was convicted of two counts of bribery and was sentenced to 12 months on each count to be served concurrently, suspended for 12 months, with no unpaid work because of his training work at Swindon Town.

He was ordered to repay the £5,000 back to the Daily Telegraph within 22 days, with £3,000 costs to be paid within 12 months as well as a statutory surcharge.

Price, of Susans Lane, Sittingbourne, Kent, sentenced to 18 months custody suspended for 18 months concurrent on both counts with 150 hours unpaid work and subject to a curfew for three months at his home address between 8pm and 6am.

Pagliara, of East Drive, Bury, denied but was convicted of two counts of offering to pay a bribe and was sentenced to two years imprisonment suspended for two years with a 7am to 7pm curfew and three hundred hours of unpaid work.

Report: CourtNewsUK (£)