Sancho joined City from Watford as a youngster
Leaked documents suggest Manchester City employed Jadon Sancho’s agent as a scout to mask a £200,000 payment which was linked to the forward’s transfer from Watford.
Sancho joined City as a youngster from Watford but has since left for Borussia Dortmund, where he has established himself as one of the most exciting young talents in world football.
According to Der Spiegel, the German publication, documents from Football Leaks show that City paid Sancho’s agent, Emeka Obasi, £200,000 as part of a scouting contract to identify players in central and South America. It is alleged that this ‘scouting services agreement’ was actually in relation to the deal which saw Sancho move to City from Watford.
Amongst other documents published, the magazine quotes an internal email sent by a City employee that allegedly states that the agreement “in relation to Jadon and his agent Emeka”. It is also alleged that the payment appears in an internal City table, under the heading ‘Agent Fee’.
According to rules set out by the Premier League and Fifa, players who are under 16 are not permitted to be represented by agents. They are also not allowed to receive inducements.
This is not the first time that City have been the subject of leaked information published by Der Spiegel. Last November, published a series of articles which suggested the Premier League champions had breached Fifa’s Financial Fair Play regulations.
A statement released by City in response to those allegations said: ‘We will not be providing any comment on out of context materials purportedly hacked or stolen from City Football Group and Manchester City personnel and associated people.
‘The attempt to damage the Club’s reputation is organised and clear.’
