Graham Bean was the Football Association sleazebuster who later helped some of the biggest names in football avoid the pitfalls of a disciplinary system he felt was often unfit for purpose.
Sir Alex Ferguson, Rafa Benitez, David Moyes, Gary Neville and Duncan Ferguson were just a handful of the stars who employed Bean’s Football Factors agency to defend them against charges levelled against them by the English game’s governing body. The former South Yorkshire Police detective won more than he lost.
Ferguson, in particular, had reasons to be grateful that Bean’s knowledge of the myriad of disciplinary rules and regulations was unsurpassed thanks to his four-year stint as the FA’s first-ever compliance officer. Bean said: “Sir Alex was my first big client after I set up Football Factors.
