Painful sight of players counting the cost
But "Football's Financial Shame" should not be compared to the Post Office Scandal
From Fulham to Portsmouth, Sean Davis was always such an exuberant character during his playing career. So it was dispiriting to hear him on TV last night admitting to suicidal thoughts following investments that broke him financially and emotionally. “The sad thing is I’m at my happiest when I’ve had a drink because you kind of forget about it,” Davis, 45, said. “But then when I wake up the next day that’s when I’m at my worst. I literally want to kill myself.”
How had it come to this? I remember leaving Ewood Park on April 11, 2001, having watched a dynamic 21-year-old Davis score the winner for Fulham against Blackburn that carried them towards the Premiership. I predicted, slightly rashly, that Davis could prove the young player to watch in the top league the following season. He certainly impressed in one of his first games, dominating Manchester United’s midfield at Old Trafford.
Davis went on to have a decent career at Spurs (where injury unfortunately intervened at times), and especially Portsmouth (he played in the 2008 FA Cup semi-final, though didn’t feature in their victorious final team) and Bolton Wanderers. He made 202 appearances in the Premier League and earned millions.
Yet Davis ended up owing £330,000 to HMRC, now works as a painter and director and finds an escape only when on a riverbank fishing. He is one of hundreds of footballers and managers caught up in an alleged investment fraud scheme.