Pini Zahavi

Pinhas "Pini" Zahavi ( _he. פיני זהבי; born August 24, 1943 in Ness Ziona, Israel) [ [http://observer.guardian.co.uk/osm/story/0,,1956513,00.html Profile: Pini Zahavi] from "The Observer" (November 26 2005), accessed 12 July 2007)] [ [http://www.thejewishlife.com/pini-zahavi-soccer%e2%80%99s-wheeler-dealer/ Pini Zahavi: Soccer’s Wheeler Dealer] , The Jewish Life (June 1 2007, accessed 12 July 1007)] is a football agent who has been involved in some of the most expensive (and controversial) transfer episodes of the last decade. Zahavi is often described as a "football transfer super agent" or a "transfer ". He is registered with FIFA from his offices in Tel Aviv. [ [http://www.fifa.com/aboutfifa/federation/administration/playersagents/letter=p.html Pini Zahavi registration, curiously on letter P and not Z] on FIFA website]

His sports career began when he was a writer for the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth; the contacts he made in that position helped him to establish himself, after making a career change, as a football agent.

Today he lives in Tel Aviv and Marble Arch, London. [ [http://www.thejewishlife.com/pini-zahavi-soccer%e2%80%99s-wheeler-dealer/ Pini Zahavi: Soccer’s Wheeler Dealer] , The Jewish Life (June 1 2007, accessed 12 July 1007)] He is the Father of Alex Zahavi, a former Sporting Clube de Portugal player who was born in Los Angeles, USA.

Business deals

He helped facilitate the takeover of two English Premier League clubs by fellow associates, Chelsea Football Club by Russian businessman Roman Abramovich, and Portsmouth Football Club by French businessman Alexandre Gaydamak.

Transfers he has brokered include:

*Rio Ferdinand to Manchester United, July 2002, £30m
*Juan Sebastián Verón to Manchester United, July 2001, £28m
*Yakubu Aiyegbeni to Middlesbrough, July 2005, £7.5m

The Yakubu deal is reported to have earned Zahavi a potential £3m fee, the largest ever disclosed in English football.Fact|date=October 2007

Clients he represents include:

*Rio Ferdinand [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/man_utd/7354524.stm]
*Eyal Berkovic
*Yakubu Aiyegbeni
*Kevin Campbell
*Idan Tal
*Giovani dos Santos
*João Moutinho
*Marcelo Mattos

Zahavi is co-owner of Charlton, a media company which holds the TV rights to many sporting events in Israel.

He is also part of a syndicate of owners which include Sir Alex Ferguson and bookmaker Victor Chandler, who are responsible for the Peter Chapple-Hyam trained Fireside, last in the 2008 2,000 Guineas at Newmarket. [http://www.racingpost.co.uk/news/news.sd?psection=racingpost.co.uk&page=News&category=Top%20Stories&story_uid=971843]

Controversy

After a takeover of Chelsea, former owner Ken Bates described Zahavi as a 'dickhead'. Zahavi responded by saying: Quote|This revolting character is not worthy of a response. If I was in his shoes I would wake up every morning praying to God and thanking him that Pini Zahavi saved him from bankruptcy and put £19million in his pocket. He is history as far as English football is concerned.|Pini Zahavi

In 2005 the English Football Association recommended that Zahavi be investigated for his part in the Ashley Cole 'tapping-up' affair. He was also present when then-England manager Sven-Göran Eriksson met with Chelsea owner Abramovich; Eriksson later issued a statement denying his meeting was for business reasons.

Following the Lord Stevens 'bung enquiry', Zahavi was reported to be involved in "making illicit payments" on a deal involving Fabio Rochemback and fellow agent Barry Silkman.

"Agent Pinhas Zahavi has failed to co-operate fully with the inquiry . There was an initial failure to disclose his involvement in a number of transfers but, more seriously, he has failed to provide the inquiry with complete bank statements due to the confidential nature of them. There has also been a lack of responsiveness by Zahavi. There remains questions relating to his relationship with, and payments to, licensed agent Barry Silkman, and with Silkman's failure to initially disclose his involvement in all the transactions in which he has received fees." [cite news | title = What Stevens said about each club | publisher = www.telegraph.co.uk| date = 2007-06-16| url =http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=A1YourView&xml=/sport/2007/06/16/sfnste116.xml
accessdate =2007-06-17]

Notes and references

External links

* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/low/football/eng_prem/4601247.stm Judgement on Ashley Cole affair] - BBC news
* [http://www.thefa.com/England/SeniorTeam/NewsAndFeatures/Postings/2003/07/55841.htm FA Statement] regarding Sven-Goran Eriksson
* [http://football.guardian.co.uk/worldcup2006/story/0,,1791003,00.html Israel boycotts pay-per-view World Cup] - "The Guardian"
* [http://football.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,1957519,00.html Profile: Pini Zahavi, football's first and only super-agent] - "The Guardian"
* [http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,,1992138,00.html £3m - Zahavi's fee for taking Yakubu to Boro] - "The Guardian"
* [http://www.ft.com/cms/s/7d18fc5a-1ba6-11dc-bc55-000b5df10621.html From journalist to sports svengali] - "Financial Times" profile