 Lord Stevens began his inquiry into corruption in March 2006 |
Lord Stevens final report into alleged transfer regularities named 17 transfers.
Five clubs - Chelsea, Middlesbrough, Bolton, Portsmouth and Newcastle - were named in the report, although there was no evidence of irregular payments to club officials or players.
Furthermore, Sam Allardyce and Graeme Souness have been mentioned in the report, along with 15 agents.
BBC Sport looks at what this all means and what is likely to happen next.
Q. Why are the Premier League sending the findings to the Football Association and Fifa? Why can't the Premier League deal with the findings themselves?
Simply that the League aren't the regulatory body of the game - that is a role shared by the Football Association and Fifa.
It is those two organisations who have to decide which, if any, of their regulations may have been broken based on the evidence provided to them by Stevens.
Q. Is there a point where other authorities, such as the police and Inland Revenue, could get involved or be invited to become involved? Is the inquiry bound to pass any evidence of tax evasion or fraud on to relevant authority?
Stevens has already passed information onto both of those two organisations.
The final report mentions one further transfer which cannot be identified, as it is under investigation by a third party, presumably either the police or the Inland Revenue.
The inquiry made it clear from the start they would do this if they found any evidence or information that could be of a criminal nature.
Q. Although the remit of the Stevens inquiry has been to investigate transfers over the last two years, if a thread of investigation leads back further than that, can they carry it through?
My understanding is that Stevens was deliberately given terms of reference for the report that were tight and precise in order to prevent the whole investigation becoming too unwieldy.
Having said that it would be odd to just drop a line of inquiry because it exceeded the timelines.
I'm sure they won't have done that, or at the very least would flag up to the FA that the matter needs further investigation.
Q. Why is the inquiry interested in the horse that agent Willie McKay owned registered in the name of current Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp?
This is clearly something they have come across during the investigation, that they feel may have relevance, hence they have flagged it up.
Harry Redknapp says it was a hopeless horse, and it didn't make him any money!
He says it was a PR exercise by the owner of the yard.
Q. Are there any further investigations to be undertaken by Stevens or is this the end of his involvement?
Stevens has completed what was required of him, which was basically to ask a whole load of questions, and see if they matched the paperwork. In most of the cases, he says it has.
All of his work now gets passed to the FA or to Fifa.
He's already extended the investigation twice at the Premier League's request, but his work and that of his Quest team is now done.
Q. What are the ramifications now for the agents as well as Graeme Souness, and particularly Sam Allardyce, who is in charge at Newcastle?
Stevens says there should be further investigations into the activities of all of them, in respect of the transfers they have named.
In the case of those agents who fall under Fifa's jurisdiction, Stevens will forward the file, and it will be up to Fifa to decide what to do.
In some of the cases there may be enough evidence now to bring charges over breaches of the regulations, but in others further investigation will be required.
Souness says he cannot understand why his name is being linked with the report. He says he made a witness statement and has heard nothing before Friday from the Quest team.
There has been no response from Allardyce, although the report says his former club, Bolton, are prepared to pass on the findings of their own internal review to the FA.
Q. Why is the inquiry compelled to keep one of the deals under investigation confidential?
Almost certainly because it's forming part of a police investigation.
Q. What are the punishments those named could face if they are found guilty of wrong-doing?
Agents face the possibility of having their licences revoked and/or hit with big fines, but all of that will require further formal disciplinary action based on whatever evidence Stevens has now come up with.
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