FA chiefs were last night probing a £50,000 "bung" allegedly paid over the transfer of a Premier League footballer.
Investigators were studying Sun tapes after French international Gael Givet claimed an unlicensed middleman received secret payments following his Blackburn Rovers move.
Givet said: "It felt wrong. I was very uncomfortable."
Givet, 29, has told The Sun how he was persuaded to shell out £50,000 over the move to Blackburn - to a local TAILOR.
The defender joined the Premier League side from Marseille in a £3.5million deal in 2009.
He recalled how Manchester tailor Phil Black, who also owns a fashion store, contacted him out of the blue and helped set up the move. He described how Black, who is NOT registered with the FA as an agent, also picked him up at a UK airport and drove him to meet then-Rovers boss Sam Allardyce.
But the ace claims he was "shocked" when Black later demanded payment for his part in organising the move, which began as a loan.
And he told The Sun how he reluctantly handed over the first £5,000 in an envelope full of notes before transferring £15,000 directly into Black's account, then parting with a giant cheque for £30,000.
Last night FA chiefs were examining our dossier of tapes, transcripts and documents as they launched an investigation into allegations of a "bung".
Givet, who agreed to co-operate with any FA probe, spoke to The Sun in front of his lawyer and his new agent.
In an emotional interview, he said: "Phil Black was the first person to contact me, texting and asking if I was interested in joining Blackburn.
"And he was at Liverpool airport to meet me and my agent Frederic Dobarje when we came to agree the deal.
"But that was the first time I'd met him and all he did was drive us to the ground. He never, ever came into the club or any meetings with us.
"I just thought he was working for Blackburn. But after I'd signed he started demanding money, saying he was due a slice of the agent's fee agreed by Blackburn with my agent."
Givet said Black first demanded the cash from ex-agent Dobarje, but turned to him when he was snubbed.
He added: "Black kept on asking me for money. He kept saying he should have been paid and had received nothing.
Black confirmed his role in the transfer when approached by The Sun - and admitted taking money from married Givet, Rovers Players' Player of the Year last season.
He claimed the total was less than the star said, but insisted he was entitled to a payout.
Black said of the cash sum: "From what he's getting - 65 grand a week - I don't think £5,000 is a big present, do you?"
It is understood he later gave back £15,000. But Givet has called in lawyers and is demanding the rest back too.
Black denied effectively acting as an unlicensed agent. He said: "It's not been a case of that. I just did it as a favour.
"I have been involved in football all my life - I have just helped people out."
Football rules strictly prohibit any third party being paid for a transfer unless a licensed agent. The measures are aimed at preventing illegal payments and bribes in the transfer market after the game was hit by "bung" scandals.
The FA last night confirmed an investigation had been ordered. A spokesman said: "We will be looking into the material and the issues that may be raised by the content provided by The Sun."
