CHELSEA have had many clashes with authority in the past few years and, last night, they were again dragged into the mire. Frank Arnesen, their director of youth development and scouting, was implicated in the controversial BBC television investigation — Undercover: Footballs Dirty Secrets — into bungs in football.

In the programme, Arnesen was secretly filmed making an alleged illegal approach in a meeting with Peter Harrison, the football agent. The Dane discusses with Harrison the possibility of signing Nathan Porritt, the Middlesbrough and England youth player, and offers an inducement.

At the meeting, which is also attended by the undercover reporter, Knut auf dem Berge, Arnesen says that he is willing to offer the talented 15-year-old a package of £150,000 spread over three years. This is conditional on him joining Chelsea.

Harrison, Porritt’s agent, suggests of his client: “It’s 99 per cent sure hes leaving Middlesbrough.” Arnesen then says: “One-fifty thousand spread in three years and we can do it like a loyalty bonus. Salary, we can talk about that.” Arnesen also talks about how he would use Porritt in the club’s team formation.

Middlesbrough have confirmed that they did not give permission for the approach to Porritt. Harrison is filmed admitting that Middlesbrough were unaware that their much-prized academy starlet was being touted to other clubs.

Harrison, again in direct contravention of the FA rules, also offers Porritt to Liverpool. The Merseyside club made clear their interest in him. A Liverpool official said: “I think we could sign him and then bring him here at 17. Definitely bring him here because he becomes a pro.”

In response to the allegations, Harrison denied that he is a corrupt agent and said that everything he said to Dem Berge, a Uefa-licensed coach who has worked in England for the past eight years, was merely “pub gossip and banter”. Both Chelsea and Liverpool denied that the meetings filmed by the BBC broke any industry rules.

Crucial to any defence Chelsea and Arnesen may make over their approach to Porritt is the timing of the approach. Academy players are signed on contracts that run through to March 1, whereupon their club can offer to re-sign them, but the players then also have the opportunity to talk to other clubs. The window for approach here lasts 28 days. It would clearly help Chelsea’s defence if the filming took place in March.

The financial inducement will also be a point of interest. Clubs cannot pay players until they are scholars, starting at under-17 level. Scholarships can be offered to boys to tie them to a club in advance of that age, but the scholarship starts only at the age of 16. Porritt was 15 when Chelsea are alleged to have made their approach. Chelsea would argue that the £150,000 offer would start when the player had reached scholarship age.

Chelsea fell foul of the authorities when Arnesen, the former sporting director of Tottenham Hotspur, left White Hart Lane for Stamford Bridge in June 2005. Tottenham claimed that Chelsea had not made an official approach for him and were awarded compensation from Chelsea believed to be about £8 million.

Apparently unable to avoid inter-club conflict, Chelsea also became embroiled in the “tapping-up” affair involving Ashley Cole, the Arsenal left back, last season. Though Chelsea were found guilty — and, pertinently, still have a suspended three-point penalty hanging over them — Cole eventually moved to West London.

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FRANK ARNESEN THE ALLEGATIONS