MPs want action for footballers who lost millions

4 hours ago 4

Alex Sobel MP and Rod Wallace walking in front of the Houses of Parliament.

Image caption,

Alex Sobel MP (right) has worked with the V11 group for a number of years

Tom Grundy

BBC Sport senior journalist

Three parliamentarians are calling for an investigation into the case of a group of former Premier League players who say they were victims of "financial abuse".

Danny Murphy, Brian Deane and Rod Wallace are part of the V11 campaign group, which comprises 11 footballers who invested with Kingsbridge Asset Management in the 1990s and 2000s.

The players lost tens of millions of pounds and some now owe millions in tax.

Lord Mann, Alex Sobel MP and Sarah Bool MP said the case was "a failure of regulation, accountability and duty of care".

They were speaking in response to the BBC documentary Football's Financial Shame: The Story of the V11, which aired on Tuesday.

David McKee and Kevin McMenamin, who ran Kingsbridge, have denied any wrongdoing.

They told the BBC: "At all times Kingsbridge advised in good faith and set out the risks and opportunities both before and after any investment was agreed."

Members of the V11 group standing outside the Houses of Parliament for a campaign march

Image caption,

The V11 group are campaigning for a change in the law to protect victims of crime from serious tax charges

'These victims have been failed'

Up to 200 footballers may have been affected, with some losing their homes and being made bankrupt.

"This was not a case of greed or bad decisions," said the cross-party parliamentarians.

"These men did what we ask of everyone - they saved for their futures, trusted regulated professionals and followed advice they believed was sound.

"We believe that these victims have been failed by not only their advisers but also the financial services sector, by regulatory and law enforcement bodies, by HMRC, and by the football industry."

City of London Police opened an investigation in 2018.

Two years later it was closed, with the force concluding there was "insufficient evidence to support a realistic prospect of conviction".

No charges were brought against Kingsbridge staff.

Lord Mann, Sobel and Bool have called for "a thorough investigation into the conduct of all advisers and schemes involved" and "a fair and timely resolution to the decade-long tax dispute".

Bool said she wants "to see a leniency package put in place by HMRC" for the V11 group.

In a statement HMRC said: "We have a duty to collect tax when it is legally due.

"We recognise that dealing with an enquiry and a large tax liability can be stressful and we are absolutely committed to identifying and supporting customers who need extra help."

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