LONDON (AFP) - Police raided top British clubs Rangers, Newcastle and Portsmouth on Monday as part of a probe into alleged corruption in football.

The three sides admitted they were the clubs involved in the investigation, which also saw the homes of two individuals searched by the City of London Police.

Various authorities have been investigating claims of bribes and bungs in football for several years.

The probe is separate to former Scotland Yard chief Lord John Stevens' ongoing Quest inquiry into alleged irregular transfer payments in the English Premiership.

The City of London Police is running its own probe as it is the national lead force for fraud investigation. No arrests were made Monday, a spokesman for the force told AFP.

"Rangers Football Club was asked to co-operate with the police investigation and have done so," said a spokesman for the Scottish Premier League runners-up.

"We have been requested by police not to comment further while the investigation continues."

Newcastle's owners confirmed the City of London Police executed a search warrant at their St James' Park ground.

"The club itself is not the subject of the investigation," the Magpies stressed in a statement.

"If the investigation by the City of London Police, or the ongoing internal review of operations by the club's new owners, show that the club has been the victim of any criminal activity, the club will take appropriate action."

Fellow English Premiership side Portsmouth admitted they had also received an early visit.

"We can confirm that the police arrived at about 10:00am this morning," said spokesman Gary Double.

"We have co-operated fully with their search and will not be commenting further."

The raids were "in regard to an onging investigation into football corruption by the City of London Police economic crime department", the spokesman for the force told AFP.

"We can confirm that search warrants were served at three football clubs and the homes of two individuals in connection with corruption in football and its impact on owners and shareholders.

"This investigation is a totally independent inquiry.

"It has not been influenced or informed by the Quest inquiry in any way.

"As this is a live investigation, it would be inappropriate to comment further at this stage."

He said the investigation was launched in late 2006. One person has been arrested so far, a 61-year-old man who was bailed until October.

That arrest in May was on suspicion of money laundering and was not related to the main focus of the investigation, he said.

Last month, Stevens, formerly Britain's top police officer, presented a report to the FA Premier League identifying 17 transfers as suspect.

Newcastle boss Sam Allardyce, the "super-agent" Pini Zahavi and the deal which took Didier Drogba to Chelsea were all left facing further investigation.

The report, drawn up following a 15-month investigation, identified five clubs -- Newcastle, Portsmouth, Chelsea, Middlesbrough and Allardyce's old side Bolton Wanderers -- as having acquired players in deals which could not be cleared as legitimate.

But Stevens, who examined a total of 362 transfers for evidence of wrong-doing, concluded there was no evidence of illegal payments to club officials or players and said all the clubs named had fully co-operated with his investigation.

Source: Uk.eurosport.yahoo.com

Labels: sport

Chris Benoit is only one in the long list of freakishly muscled carnival attractions for whom a pro wrestling career ended tragically.

Toxicology results are pending and Benoit may well have been battling deeper, more primal personal demons when he reportedly killed his wife and son before taking his own life, but only the most naive observer could ignore the overwhelming evidence that most wrestlers who look like Benoit have undergone countless cycles of chemical enhancement.

The prescription anabolic steroids found at Benoit's home have long been known to contribute to paranoia, depression and the violent outbursts we've come to know as "roid rage." Couple that with the near-compulsory painkillers a wrestler must take to do his job effectively after enduring countless body slams and you have a cocktail for massive, mind-altering mood swings.

The Benoit story is the latest and most tragic installment in an ongoing saga that the men who get rich promoting professional wrestling would prefer their fans didn't know too much about.

Let's remember some of the others from the world of pro wrestling, who died before their time:

Ravishing Rick Rude














Died at 40 of an apparent heart attack in 1999, a bottle of prescription pills for his bad back at his side. The autopsy report said he died of "mixed medications." Rude was an admitted user of anabolic steroids.

Louis Mucciolo, a.k.a, Louie Spicolli

Died in 1998 at age 27 when he suffocated on his own vomit after ingesting massive amounts of Soma and alcohol. Investigators also found an empty vial of testosterone, pain pills and an anti-anxiety drug at the scene.









Brian Pillman











An admitted user of steroids, he died of a heart attack at age 35 in 1997 on the morning of WWF's In Your House: Badd Blood pay-per-view event.

Rick "the Renegade" Williams










Died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at age 33 after being released from his World Championship Wrestling contract in 1999.


"Mr. Perfect" Curt Hennig














Found dead of a cocaine overdose at age 44 in his motel room on April 10, 2003, the morning of a match. Hennig's father maintained that steroids and painkillers contributed to his death.


Rodney "Yokozuna" Anoa'i











Died of a heart attack in 2002 at 34.


Davey Boy Smith, "The British Bulldog"











Died of a heart attack at age 39 on May 17, 2002. An autopsy report indicated that past steroid use had likely played a part in his death.

Michael "Road Warrior Hawk" Hegstrand










He died of a heart attack at age 46 in 2003.


Michael Lockwood, "Crash Holly"














In 2003, at the age of 32, he choked to death on his own vomit after ingesting 90 painkiller pills.

Jerry Tuite, "The Wall" a.k.a. "Malice"














Died at age 36 in 2003 of an apparent heart attack in his hotel room.


Raymond "Hercules" Hernandez














Dead of heart failure in 2004 at age 47.

Ray "The Big Boss Man" Traylor














Found dead of a heart attack in 2004 at age 42.

Eddie Guerrero












After a long battle with painkillers, he was found dead of a heart attack by his nephew in his hotel room at age 38. The first person his nephew reportedly called was Guerrero's best friend, Chris Benoit.

Chris Candido














Died in 2005 at age 33 from a blood clot after breaking his tibia and fibula and dislocating his ankle in a pay-per-view event.

Owen Hart

Fell to his death at age 34 in 1999 when the rigging that was lowering him into the ring malfunctioned.











Thomas Russell Russ Haas


Haas died of a heart attack in his sleep at the age of 27.










Teddy ''Flyboy Rocco Rock'' Petty

Teddy Petty who also wrestled as The Cheetah Kid, Komodo Dragon II, Col. DeKlerk and as part of the tag team duo Public Enemy, died of a heart attack shortly after a show in New Jersey on Sept. 21 at the age of 49.









Bobby Duncum, Jr.



Duncum Jr. was recovering from an injury when he died of a prescription drug overdose at age 34.









Thomas Gilbert "Eddie hotstuff"



He died only 33 years old of a massive heart attack in his sleep.










Anthony Durante



Durante died on September 25, 2003 along with his wife due to drug overdoses. They overdosed on homemade Oxycontin and were found after lying in their home dead for days, all while their two small children were in the house among the bodies.






Elizabeth Hulette "Miss Elizabeth"

Elizabeth Ann Hulette was a U.S. professional wrestling manager and valet. She gained international fame during the late-1980s and early-1990s in the World Wrestling Federation, and the mid-1990s in World Championship Wrestling in her role as the ever-demure and graceful counterpart to the wild and brash pro wrestling character "Macho Man" Randy Savage.

She died at age 42 of an accidental drug overdose, having ingested some of the medications with vodka.




And then there's the story of the Von Erich wrestling family. Wrestling patriarch Fritz Von Erich, nee Jack Adkisson, had five wrestling sons: Kevin, David, Kerry, Mike and Chris.
David Von Erich

David died in a hotel room in Tokyo at the age of 25 in 1984 just as he was embarking on a three-week pro wrestling tour of Japan. The official cause of death was acute enteritis, severe inflammation of the intestines.

Devastated by the deaths of his older brothers and frustrated by his own limitations as a wrestler, the youngest and smallest brother, Chris, shot himself to death at the age of 21 in 1991.

Chris Von Erich

Three years later, Mike committed suicide by overdosing on the tranquilizer Placidyl at the age of 23. After David's death, Mike had suffered a series of setbacks including a serious shoulder injury that had left him severely depressed.

Two years later, Kerry, who had battled a long addiction to painkillers, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at the age of 33, leaving eldest brother Kevin as the only survivor of the sport that had defined his family.

Mike Von Erich













Kerry Von Erich













And now Chris Benoit, his wife and son have been added to the long, unbearably sad list of victims claimed, in part, by the brutal chemical calculus that is professional wrestling.

Related posts:
Benoit deaths were murder-suicide
Chris Benoit and Family Found Dead in Georgia Home

Labels: Interesting-Stuff, shocking, sport

FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. (AP) - Pro wrestler Chris Benoit strangled his wife and smothered his son before hanging himself in his weight room, a law enforcement official close to the investigation told The Associated Press Tuesday.

The official spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Authorities also said they are investigating whether steroids may have been a factor in the deaths of Benoit, his wife and their 7-year-old son who were found dead in an apparent murder-suicide.

Fayette County District Attorney Scott Ballard said test results may not be back for weeks or even months.

Autopsies were scheduled Tuesday by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation in DeKalb County.

The bodies were found Monday afternoon in three separate rooms of the house, off a gravel road about two miles from the Whitewater Country Club.

Fayette County Coroner C.J. Mowell did not return calls seeking comment. The answering service for his funeral home said he was out of town.
Authorities also declined to say whether drugs or steroids were found inside the house. "We're not releasing any information as far as what was located inside the house," sheriff's Sgt. Keith Whiteside said Tuesday.
Asked about the condition of the interior of the house, Whiteside said investigators found "nothing really out of the ordinary." He said Benoit was found in the home's weight room, his wife in an office and the son in an upstairs bedroom.
Whiteside said toxicology tests could take up to a week or longer to complete.
Neighbors said the Benoits led a low-key lifestyle.
"They were nice," said Lorre Jones, who lives across the street. Her daughter Alaina said: "We would see Chris walking in his yard from time to time. He wasn't rude, but he wasn't really outwardly warm."
Jimmy Baswell, who was Benoit's driver for more than five years, placed a white wreath at the Benoits' gate Tuesday.
"I saw him with his family all the time," said Baswell. "They always seemed like they were the happiest people."
World Wrestling Entertainment said on its Web site that it asked authorities to check on Benoit and his family after being alerted by friends who received "several curious text messages sent by Benoit early Sunday morning."
The WWE, based in Stamford, Conn., said it had been asked by authorities not to release further information on the deaths.
Benoit, born in Montreal, was a former world heavyweight champion, Intercontinental champion and held several tag-team titles. His names in the ring included "The Canadian Crippler."
"WWE extends its sincerest thoughts and prayers to the Benoit family's relatives and loved ones in this time of tragedy," the company said in a statement on its Web site.
Benoit had maintained a home in metro Atlanta from the time he wrestled for the defunct World Championship Wrestling. The Fayette County Tax Assessors Office lists the value of the house, situated on more than 8.5 acres, at nearly $900,000.

The WWE canceled its live "Monday Night RAW" card in Corpus Christi, Texas, and USA Network aired a three-hour tribute to Benoit in place of the scheduled wrestling telecast.
Benoit's wife managed several wrestlers and went by the stage name "Woman," The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. They met when her then-husband drew up a script that had them involved in a relationship as part of a story line on World Championship Wrestling, the newspaper said.
Benoit has two other children from a prior relationship.
Benoit became a standout at an early age among wrestling prospects who trained in the dungeon basement of the house where fellow Canadians and professional wrestlers Owen and Bret Hart trained. Owen Hart was killed during a wrestling event in 1999.
"He was like a family member to me, and everyone in my family is taking it real hard," said Bret Hart, a five-time champion with the now-defunct World Wrestling Federation.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Related articles:
Cris Benoit and family found dead...
Benoit tragedy is not the only one in the world of pro wrestling

Labels: shocking, sport

Pro wrestler Chris Benoit, his wife and 7-year-old son were found slain Monday at their Fayetteville home, authorities said.

Detective Bo Turner told television station WAGA that the case was being investigated as a murder-suicide, but said that could not be confirmed until the evidence was examined by a crime lab.

WAGA reported that investigators believe Benoit killed his wife and son over the weekend, and then himself sometime Monday.

A concerned neighbor called police. The bodies were found in three different rooms.

The lead investigator, Sheriff’s Lt. Tommy Pope, told The Associated Press that the deaths were being investigated as homicide, and said the cause of death awaited autopsy results on Tuesday.

Pope said the three were found about 2:30 p.m., but he would release no other details about the deaths at the house in a subdivision near White Water Country Club.

World Wrestling Entertainment said on its Web site that Benoit, 40, his wife, Nancy, and son, who was named Daniel, were found dead, but also had no other details.

Benoit, a native of Canada, was a former world heavyweight champion, Intercontinental champion and held several tag-team titles over his career.

“WWE extends its sincerest thoughts and prayers to the Benoit family’s relatives and loved ones in this time of tragedy,” the federation said in a statement on its Web site.

Benoit was scheduled to perform at the “Vengeance” pay-per-view event Sunday night in Houston, but was replaced at the last minute because of what announcer Jim Ross called “personal reasons.”

Benoit maintained a home in metro Atlanta from the time he wrestled for the defunct World Championship Wrestling.

The WWE canceled its live “Monday Night RAW” card in Corpus Christi, Texas, and USA Network aired a three-hour tribute to Benoit in place of the scheduled wrestling telecast.

Benoit’s wife managed several wrestlers and went by the stage name, “Woman,” The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported on its Web site.

They met when her then-husband drew up a script that had them involved in a relationship as part of an ongoing storyline on World Championship Wrestling, the newspaper said.

Benoit has two other children from a prior relationship.

The federal-style house is in a secluded neighborhood set back about 60 yards off a gravel road, surrounded by stacked stone wall and double-iron gate.

Monday night, the house was dark except for a few outside lights. There was a police car in front, and two uniformed officers.


Source: Celebspin

Related articles:

Benoit deaths were murder-suicide

Benoit tragedy is not the only one in the world of pro wrestling

Labels: shocking, sport