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LONDON - Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp and chief executive Peter Storrie were among five people arrested today by police investigating corruption in football, the Premier League club said.
"They (Redknapp and Storey) have been asked to help police with their enquiries concerning a matter dating back to 2003," Portsmouth spokesman Gary Double said in a statement.
"This was prior to the new owner taking control of the club at the beginning of 2006.
"The club is fully supportive of Peter and Harry who are cooperating fully with City of London police in this ongoing enquiry."
Redknapp has been widely tipped in the media to be among the front-runners to replace sacked England manager Steve McClaren.
City of London police said they had arrested four men in locations "across the country", later increasing that number to five.
No other details about the arrests were given other than the ages of those detained - 69, 60, 55, 48 and 30.
"They have been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud and false accounting. It's part of an ongoing investigation into football corruption," the spokeswoman said, adding that it was not linked to the Lord Stevens enquiry.
The Stevens enquiry revealed serious breaches of the game's transfer rules and some of the findings were forwarded to the police's economic crime department to investigate.
- REUTERS