On 12 July 1995 George Graham was found guilty of receiving £425,000 payment from agent Rune Hauge following the purchase of John Jensen and Pål Lydersen.  He was dismissed by Arsenal and banned from football for one year by the FA.  He went on to manage Tottenham Hotspur

Three years later to the day, and just two years after he had joined Arsenal, the phenomenal strength of the Arsenal team built by Arsene Wenger was revealed for the world to see as  Emmanuel Petit and Patrick Vieira (along with Thierry Henry and Robert Pires who did not play in the final but were in the squad) became the first Arsenal players to win the World Cup.

Petit also became the first Arsenal player to score in a World Cup final.  Dennis Bergkamp (who was not signed by Wenger but whose career was reborn under Wenger) won World Cup Goal of the Tournament.

As for George Graham he joined Tottenham Hotspur as manager on 26 September 1998 – three years after leaving Arsenal.

Five months after that Tottenham won the League Cup but the club remained a mid to lower table club in the League itself.  However having reached the semi-final of the 2000/1 FA Cup he was once again sacked – this time for breach of contract after having been given (according to the club) “several written warnings prior to his sacking for giving out what was deemed by the club as being private information.”

It seems that this information related to what Graham took to be an inadequate transfer budget.

The Tottenham vice chair, David Buchler then questioned Graham’s attitude toward the club calling him “aggressive and defiant”.

Henry Norris at the Arsenal:  There is a full index to the series here.

Arsenal in the 1930s: The most comprehensive series on the decade ever

Arsenal in the 1970s: Every match and every intrigue reviewed in detail.

100 Years: 100 Years in the First Division

Arsenal today: Untold Arsenal