'There are sharks out there': V11 footballer plight highlights professional athlete financial vulnerability

‘Sadly, in every industry there is good and bad'

Jenna Brown
clock • 8 min read

A BBC documentary, Football's Financial Shame: The Story of the V11, highlighted the story of a group of former Premier League footballers who say they suffered significant financial losses due to the actions of their advisers.

The players, including Danny Murphy, Michael Thomas and Rod Wallace, have formed a campaign group, V11, made up of footballers who invested in Kingsbridge Asset Management in the 1990s and 2000s, the BBC reports. Murphy told the broadcaster he lost £5m due to "financial abuse". The players were advised to invest in tax-incentivised film financing schemes and foreign property, the programme revealed, and now many players are now wrangling with HM Revenue & Customs over hefty tax liabilities. Kingsbridge founders David McKee and Kevin McMenamin "deny any wrongdoing". They told the BB...

To continue reading this article...

Join Professional Adviser for free

  • Unlimited access to real-time news, industry insights and market intelligence
  • Stay ahead of the curve with spotlights on emerging trends and technologies
  • Receive breaking news stories straight to your inbox in the daily newsletters
  • Make smart business decisions with the latest developments in regulation, investing retirement and protection
  • Members-only access to the editor’s weekly Friday commentary
  • Be the first to hear about our events and awards programmes

Join

 

Already a Professional Adviser member?

Login

More on Your profession

'Nobody is big enough not to be bought'

'Nobody is big enough not to be bought'

Roderic Rennison on the future of deals in the advice industry

Isabel Baxter
clock 20 March 2026 • 1 min read
Feel Good Friday: PA Awards attendees raise £15,000 for Go Beyond

Feel Good Friday: PA Awards attendees raise £15,000 for Go Beyond

Best amount ever raised

Professional Adviser
clock 20 March 2026 • 1 min read
PA Awards 2026: This year's winners revealed

PA Awards 2026: This year's winners revealed

See who took home a trophy at the Professional Adviser Awards

Professional Adviser
clock 19 March 2026 • 13 min read