HARRY Redknapp welcomed the final whistle on his bung slur "nightmare" after his acquittal for tax fraud yesterday.

The Tottenham boss said the case should never have reached trial after jurors accepted his angry denials of tax dodging on £189,000 in a Monaco account.

His acquittal alongside co-defendant Milan Mandaric marks the end of an £8m investigation which failed to yield a single conviction.

Mandaric and former Portsmouth chief executive Peter Storrie were also cleared of £600,000 tax dodge at a previous trial, it can now be reported.

Outside London's Southwark Crown Court, a tired-looking Redknapp, flanked by son Jamie, said: "It really has been a nightmare.

"It's been five years and this is a case that should never have come to court because it's unbelievable really.

"It was horrendous, you know, but it was a unanimous decision. The jury were absolutely unanimous that there was no case to answer."

Redknapp nodded to the jury before hugging Mandaric as the jury found them not guilty on on all counts.

Mandaric said: "I've got to go somewhere to try to pinch myself and wake me up from that horrible dream that I had in the past.

"As we said in the statements, I always believed in the truth, and always believed in the British justice system."

Redknapp was at times moved to the verge of tears in court as the Crown alleged he told a pack of lies to get off the hook.

But jurors accepted Redknapp and Mandaric's evidence that the Monaco account in the name of Redknapp's dog, Rosie, was nothing to do with footballing matters at Portsmouth.

Redknapp had admitted lying to News of the World reporter Rob Beasley about the account being a bonus for the £3m profit made by the club for the sale of England striker Peter Crouch, who joined Stoke City in the summer.

But Redknapp and Mandaric said in court that the money was an investment not liable to tax.