Tuesday, October 3 2006 16:52 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

London: An inquiry into alleged irregular transfer payments in English football has been extended by two months, the former top policeman leading it said yesterday (Oct 2,2006) as he revealed he was now focusing on 39 deals at eight clubs.

Former Metropolitan Police commissioner Lord John Stevens told a central London news conference that his team had whittled down the number of deals being probed from 362 to 39 at eight clubs.

"The seven-month inquiry remained a work in progress", he said, but pledged the end result would be thorough, detailed and robust.

"It's absolutely essential for the game to ensure that there is a process that will prevent the type of things that we have seen alleged and allow the public to take confidence in that," he said.

"If we can't expose it, I don't know who can," he said.

Stevens did not deliver any recommendations on how to tighten up transfer regulations and called for patience so as not to pre-empt any findings.

"This, as you know, is not an easy inquiry but we will do everything in our powers to ensure that it is a successful one," he added.

Stevens vowed he would not sign off a single transfer until he was "100 percent" satisfied it was sound and was taking a cautious approach because of potential criminal and/or civil legal implications.

Watford, Sheffield United, Reading and Leeds United have been absolved from taking any further part because either they were not in the Premier League or made no transfers between January 1, 2004 to January 31, 2006.

Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore defended the top flight clubs' collective decision not to name the eight clubs still under investigation to prevent an "unprecedented frenzy" around them.

He also admitted it would be 'impossible' at this stage to put an exact figure on how much money was involved in the alleged deals.

Stevens' team have been visiting clubs and speaking to agents as well as holding meetings with "informed individuals" who got in touch via a secure email address.

"There have been a number of those, I can tell you," the former policeman added, wryly. During the remainder of the inquiry, Stevens' team will review club responses to previous information requests and examine agents' bank accounts, either voluntarily or through the Football Association governing body.

He refused to comment on suggestions there was a long-established "bung culture" within the English game but said it was essential for the good of the sport to stamp out any alleged shady dealings.

Clubs had offered him 'unanimous support' and he was grateful for this, Stevens added. He also revealed that he had been briefed by the BBC on a recent investigative programme shown two weeks ago which claimed that "bungs" and rule-breaking were widespread in English football.

Last week, the agent of England manager Steve McClaren said he believed most agents in England were corrupt.