Football star's 'burglar' brother

LONDON - Football, as the saying goes, is a funny old game. Ask the Lineker brothers. Wayne, an outstanding junior growing up in Leicester, appeared destined for great things while his older brother Gary was thought to lack fleetness of foot.

Those predictions, made by the boys' father several decades ago, were dramatically confounded yesterday when Wayne began a 2 1/2-year sentence for fraud.

The 43-year-old businessman was branded a "burglar and thief" by a judge after being found guilty of laundering the profits of a chain of bars in Spain, Portugal and the Canary Islands that traded on the fame of his England striker brother.

Between 1999 and 2001 Lineker masterminded an operation to smuggle bundles of pesetas and escudos worth £220,000 ($625,000) into Britain, thereby avoiding taxes of around £90,000.

Southwark crown court heard how Lineker gave a bank official "perks and back-handers" to launder bundles of currency brought into Britain in suitcases. By putting the money though the internal currency system, the employee was able to change the money at favourable rates.

As Wayne settles into his sentence, the boredom will be broken by watching his brother front the BBC's World Cup coverage.

In a 1996 article Gary said: "Wayne is good at business - he has always been able to turn a penny into a tuppence."

Wayne said: "He had more patience than I have ever had. I was more skilful [at football] but he was more dedicated. Gary has always been more sensible."

- INDEPENDENT