Min 25 point deduction, hell maybe 50 is suitable

• The FA is investigating serious breaches of agent rules in the transfer of Jermain Defoe involving Tottenham Hotspur, Portsmouth, and unlicensed agents.
• The private hearing in 2008 revealed that Defoe, Tottenham’s chairman Daniel Levy, and Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp dealt with an unlicensed agent, Mitchell Thomas.
• Despite breaches, no disciplinary action was initially taken, in contrast to other cases where clubs faced point deductions for breaking agent regulations.
• Mitchell Thomas, an unlicensed agent, played a central role in the transfer, and Daniel Levy enlisted licensed agent Stuart Peters, though a formal representation contract was not evident.
• The FA regulations prohibited the use of unlicensed players’ agents and required a written representation contract between agents and players or clubs.
• Failure to comply with these regulations could result in severe sanctions, including transfer bans, points deduction, or relegation for clubs, and warnings, fines, or bans for agents and players.
• A panel, including Cherie Booth, found in 2010 that Thomas was involved in Defoe’s move, leading to compensation to Defoe’s former agent, Sky Andrew.
• Despite these findings, no disciplinary action was initially taken, but the FA is now reopening the case, aiming to obtain the panel’s verdict and any additional evidence.
• The FA plans to review the arbitration panel award and may interview former staff to understand events in 2010.
• David Lampitt, head of financial regulation at the time, left in 2010 and is now the chief executive of a tennis data organization.

Should this have been dealt with at the time? Yes. But I don’t see how they can do anything about it now, 15 years later, not least because every single party involved in this bar maybe Defoe isn’t in the game any more. Maybe a fine, but that’ll be it.