PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: Christian Bassogog - Danish club reported to police over Cameroonian’s China deal

by Phumzile Ngcatshe

Tuesday Jan 30, 2018. 19:00

According to JydskeVestkysten, Denmark’s AaB Fodbold has been reported to the police by the Danish Financial Supervisory Authority in the wake of their record sale of attacker Bassogog to Chinese club Henan Jianye.

The Danish Financial Supervisory Authority does not believe that AaB lived up to its obligations in relation to telling the public how much the Cameroon international was sold for.

In February 2017, AaB negotiated with Henan Jianye regarding Bassogog’s services and it was reported by bold.dk that Jianye had made a 45 million Danish kroner (approx. £5 million) bid.

The Danish Financial Supervisory Authority released the following statement:
- February 15, 2017 leakage of information about the negotiations and the selling price was found on the website www.bold.dk.

- In the company announcement of the company on the same day, Aalborg Boldspilklub A / S confirmed that they were negotiating the sale of Bassogog.

- Aalborg Boldspilklub A / S did not mention the sales price of just under NOK 45 million or what impact the sale would have on the company's expectations, despite the fact that the price was already known by the market as a result of the article at www.bold.dk.

The Danish Financial Supervisory Authority estimates that "the rumors in the market surrounding the negotiations and the selling price were sufficiently precise that AaB in the Market Abuse Regulation was required to disclose the full internal knowledge to the public."

AaB have confirmed that they have been in dialogue with the Danish Financial Supervisory Authority for six months and used considerable resources to resolve the matter.

- It is AaB's and the club's legal advisers' clear view that AaB has strictly followed the guidelines for player transfers that the Danish Financial Supervisory Authority has communicated to listed soccer clubs in 2012.

- And, on this basis, there has been no violation of the Market Abuse Regulation, AaB says.

AaB will now collaborate with the police to clarify the case.