SHOCK FOR SAINTS AS BLACK SET FOR PROBE
SOUTHAMPTON assistant manager Eric Black is the latest figure to become embroiled in alleged corruption in football. The club released a statement moments after their players battled to a 0-0 draw in Israel where Black was on the bench, indicating they had been contacted by the Daily Telegraph as part of the newspaper’s investigation into corruption in the game. Southampton were told that Black would feature in their next story.
Black has been filmed by the Telegraph allegedly advising their undercover reporters, who were posing as businessmen, on how to bribe lower-League staff.
In the video, Black suggests he knows a Championship assistant manager who would pass on information about players for payment to a company that wanted to represent them. ‘These people at that level he’s earning, they won’t have an awful lot of money,’ Black said. FA rules ban any payments of that kind.
Southampton have contacted the FA and the Premier League and will work closely with them to resolve the issue.
Their statement read: ‘Southampton Football Club have today been made aware by the Daily Telegraph that the club’s assistant first-team manager Eric Black will feature as part of an article in tomorrow’s paper.
‘The club immediately requested to be sent the details of this article, but the newspaper declined to share any further information.’
Only minutes earlier Claude Puel’s players had claimed a point against Hapoel Be’er Sheva to stay top of their Europa League group.
Virgil van Dijk had a golden opportunity to score on four minutes but headed over from James Ward-Prowse’s free-kick.
‘ I should’ve scored and we would’ve won the game,’ Van Dijk admitted. ‘But I’m OK, we kept a clean sheet again, after a long and tough journey.’
Be’er Sheva proved their surprise win over Italian giants Inter in their last game was no fluke as they dominated much of the match. For all their possession, however, chances were limited.
In the 16th minute, Anthony Nwakaeme turned on the edge of the box and struck the ball cleanly, but Fraser Forster got his body behind the shot and held it.
Puel was not happy with what he saw in the first half, particularly as his side had won their previous four matches without conceding a goal, and made a change after half an hour.
The Southampton boss, with his whispering voice, comes across as a gentle character but he clearly has a hard edge, hauling off 20-year- old Jake Hesketh not long into his European debut.
‘He’s a young player, it’s a good experience for him, but the pressure of the fans, of the opponents, all in the stadium, was very difficult, it was important for me to protect Jake,’ Puel said.
A 4,000-mile round trip, but one to forget — especially for Hesketh.
HAPOEL BE’ER SHEVA (5-4-1): Goresh 6.5; Bitton 6, Vitor 6.5, Taha 6.5, Tzedek 6.5, Korhut 6; Melikson 6 (Buzaglo 70, 6), Radi 6 (Hoban 80), Ogu 6, Nwakaeme 7; Palhano Soares 6 (Sahar 63, 6). Subs not used: Haimov, Broun, Ohayon, Shabtay. Booked: Vitor, Sahar.
Manager: Barak Bakhar 7. SOUTHAMPTON (4-2-3-1): Forster 6.5; Martina 6.5, Van Dijk 6, Yoshida 6, Targett 6; Romeu 6, Clasie 6; Redmond 6 (Hojbjerg 85mins), Ward-Prowse 6, Hesketh 5.5 (Tadic 35, 6); Long 6.
Subs not used: McCarthy, Cedric, Reed, Stephens, Olomola. Manager: Claude Puel 5.
Man of the match: Anthony Nwakaeme. Referee: Stefan Johannesson 7.