I was tapped up: What happens and why clubs risk it for transfer targets

Shaka Hislop is befuddled by the news of Liverpool's approach. Tapping up, the practice of one club courting a player of another without permission, is football's worst kept secret. And it is one that the general public only ever hear about when a club or player get caught. The rest of the time, hidden in plain sight, transfer dealings are often conducted in direct contravention of the regulations and no one bats an eyelid. It is widespread but only when a club is particularly determined to keep hold of their player, or there is a feeling that the unwritten...