Milan Mandaric claims payments to Harry Redknapp were a friendship gesture

Former Portsmouth chairman Milan Mandaric has defended payments he is alleged to have made to Harry Redknapp as something that was 'completely away from his bonuses and salaries'.

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Mandaric gave evidence at Southwark Crown Court on Monday in defence of charges relating to two untaxed payments into a Monaco bank account.

The former Portsmouth owner is adamant there was no wrong doing with the payments, insisting the money given to Redknapp was a gesture towards a 'friend'.

Speaking in court, Mandaric said: "In 35 years in football, I never had a closer relationship as a manager than I had with Harry.

"I want to do something special for Harry because he means more to me than a football manager. This was something as a friend.

"If this was something to do with employment, I would have done something entirely different."

"I want to make it absolutely clear that it was completely away from his duties, his bonuses, his salaries. It has nothing to do with it. It is an entirely different subject.

"Harry is one of those guys, I learned a lot more about him later, he is not really a small timer in trying to nail you down about everything.

"He gives you a lot of room. I thought we strike up a relationship quite quickly from the time we met. Overall he was a special guy in my view."

Mandaric admits that although he and the Tottenham boss shared a strong relationship at Portsmouth, the falling out between the pair after Redknapp left Fratton Park was similar to a divorce.

"We didn't speak, it was a little bit of a bitter divorce," Mandaric said.

"It was a bit on the bitter side, especially as Southampton-Portsmouth, there's not a lot of love lost."