Redknapp wins court battle over police raid on home (SN)

Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp has won his legal battle over a police raid on his home that may have scuppered his hopes of becoming the manager of England.

England's High Court ruled on Friday that the officers who carried out the raid as part of a probe into alleged corruption in English football acted illegally.

The judge in the case concluded that the search warrant used by City of London Police for the November search was invalid and described procedural failures in the application for it as “wholly unacceptable.”

Redknapp was awarded 1,000 pounds damages and the police were ordered to pay part of his legal costs.

Redknapp has repeatedly denied any involvement in suspect transfer dealings, which are the subject of the City of London force's long-running investigation.

He believes that the raid, which was caught on film by tabloid photographers who had been tipped off about it, and his subsequent arrest seriously tarnished his reputation and effectively ended his chances of succeeding Steve McClaren in the England job.

Prior to the raid, Redknapp had been regarded as the leading homegrown candidate for the post and the Football Association had been keen to appoint an Englishman. The governing body subsequently gave the job to Italian Fabio Capello.