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Portsmouth debts revealed

Portsmouth fans have been forced to watch their club go through the mill © Getty Images

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Portsmouth have released a 70-page document where the details of their £119 million debts are spelt out.

Among the debts is a £1 million payment owed to Tottenham for Asmir Begovic even though he has never played for the club. During the final days of the January transfer window it is thought that when Portsmouth sold Younes Kaboul to Tottenham, the club negotiated a double deal which included Begovic. The player opted to move to Stoke, but the £1 million sell-on clause included in the deal remained despite the fact the Serbian had no connection with Spurs.

The club owe £38.2 million in unsecured loans to former owners, have a tax bill of £17.1 million, owe £17.3 million in outstanding transfer fees and owe £10.35 million to finance companies who assisted with the signings of players.

Portsmouth owe £9.76 million to 26 agents, and nine players, including Sol Campbell, Sulley Muntari and Niko Kranjcar who are no longer at the club, are owed a combined total of £3.04 million in image rights.

Portsmouth administrator Andrew Andronikou has told Soccernet that he has called for a full forensic report into the mystery of a £1 million payment due to Tottenham for goalkeeper Begovic.

"I don't understand it, and I would say it does need understanding," Andronikou told Soccernet. "I have no idea how a club such as Spurs have this option on one of our former players who was sold to Stoke.

"When it came through to me on a list of football creditors from the Premier League, I immediately raised it as one to score on the sheet to investigate.

"I have forensic abilities to find out exactly what this is all about, and I plan to utilise them. I need to resolve how this came about and why it came about. At the moment, I would only say it is one of the nuances thrown up by all the debts, but this is one in need of an explanation.

"For now I am giving everyone the benefit of the doubt until I receive a full explanation so I can fully examine all the facts. Put it this way, it sure it sticks out."

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