Invisiblewall.net: Gilberto Silva News

Taken from: http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=4693692

The jist of the following news story is: Jacques Lichtenstein claims that Arsenal promised him 10% of Gilberto’s transfer fee back in 2002 (totalling £450,000), while Arsenal deny ever making this agreement.

Here’s the article in full;

Arsenal Chief Defends Brazil Inquiry over Footballer

By John Aston, PA

Arsenal FC’s vice-chairman David Dein today denied making “covert” approaches to the agent of Brazilian star Gilberto Silva.

His denial came during a High Court row over agent’s fees.

Jacques Lichtenstein is claiming he is owed an agreed £450,000 agent’s fee from top Brazilian side Clube Atletico Mineiro out of the £4.5 million transfer sum it received for Silva from Arsenal in July 2002.

Today, Mr Dein was called to give evidence about the negotiations which led up to the deal.

He said Mr Lichtenstein had “missed the train” and had tried to “jump aboard when the train was already moving”.

Neither he nor his parter, former Spurs, Watford and Liverpool footballer Ronnie Rosenthal, had played any part in raising or developing the deal.

Mr Dein said Arsenal first team manager Arsene Wenger became interested in Silva after watching his performances for Brazil at the 2002 World Cup.

As a result, in June 2002, Mr Dein contacted his “good friend” Dick Law in Brazil to make inquiries about Silva as he had a background of helping to facilitate transfers of players from Brazilian clubs to Arsenal.

Cross-examined by Jonathan Crystal, representing Mr Lichtenstein, Mr Dein described Mr Law as “a conduit” with a knowledge of Portuguese and Brazilian culture who was “our man on the spot who we trusted implicitly”.

When Mr Crystal pointed out that Mr Law was not a FIFA-licensed agent, Mr Dein said: “He did not have to be for the work he was doing.”

When Mr Crystal put it to him that he had asked Mr Law “to make inquiries of the player’s agent”, Mr Dein said it had been “of the player’s agent – and club.”

Mr Crystal: “You asked Mr Law – an unlicensed person – to contact the agent of a football player who was contracted to another club.”

Mr Dein insisted: “I asked him to make inquiries of the footballer’s agent and club.”

Mr Crystal reminded Mr Dein that he had earlier told Mr Justice Jack, sitting at the High Court in London, that he had asked Mr Law to make his inquiries about how much it would cost to buy Silva without revealing that it was Arsenal which was interested in the player.

Mr Crystal asked Mr Dein: “You were asking Mr Law to make covert inquiries of a footballer’s agent and football club, is that not right?”

Mr Dein replied it was not a “covert” approach as Mr Law was being asked to approach both player and club.

He told the court Mr Law was told not to disclose that it was Arsenal that was interested in the player because, once disclosed, “the price goes up”.

Later Mr Dein described Mr Law as “first and foremost a good friend – he was acting out our instructions, but not trying to put together a deal in himself”.

He added: “He was not a football agent. He does not purport to be. He was following my instructions.”

Mr Crystal asked Mr Dein if he knew whether, after Silva’s transfer to Arsenal was completed in July 2002, Mr Law received any money.

Mr Dein: “I understand he had received some money from the agent in Brazil.

“He was not going to see any money from us, and didn’t receive any money from us.”

Mr Dein said Arsenal had paid 1.4m dollars to the lawyers acting for Silva’s agent.

Mr Crystal: “You believe that out of that (1.4m dollars) Mr Law received some money?”

Mr Dein: “Yes.”

Mr Dein was giving evidence on the third day of a hearing in which Mr Lichtenstein, who lives in Brussels, is suing Atletico Mineiro for 800,000 dollars, (about £450,000), claiming they promised him 10% of World Cup winner Silva’s transfer price as an agent’s fee after negotiations with Mr Rosenthal.

The club deny they ever agreed to such a deal and say that Mr Lichtenstein and Mr Rosenthal had nothing to do with the transfer.

The row is now being fought out in a three-day hearing before Mr Justice Jack at London’s High Court.

Yesterday Arsene Wenger told the court that he had “no knowledge” of any agreement between the Brazilian club and Mr Lichtenstein regarding a 10% fee.