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Championship club Brighton & Hove Albion have been fined £90,000 by the Football Association after admitting to a breach of the FA's agent regulations.

The fine relates to Brighton's purchase of midfielder Dale Stephens from Charlton in January last year.

The Seagulls have also been warned about their future conduct.

Three football agents - Alex Levack, Matthew Kleinman and Ali Rahnama - have been sanctioned and warned after also admitting a breach of rules.

Levack and Kleinman have both been fined £7,500 and suspended from all agency activity and intermediary activity for a period of 14 months.

Seven months of that suspension is immediate, lasting until 16 September, and the remaining seven months is suspended for a period of 12 months.

Rahnama has been given a similar suspension, which lasts for nine months; with three months immediate until 16 May and the remaining six months suspended.

In all three cases the suspended part of their respective bans will be enforced unless there is a further breach of the FA's agent regulations or Fifa's regulations on working with intermediaries.

"We accept that we have been punished in this instance on a technicality, having trusted the word of two licensed agents who the club had dealt with several times previously," a statement from Brighton said.

"The FA accepts neither the club nor any of its employees acted dishonestly.

"Similarly, we accept the FA's findings and as a result have already reviewed and amended our internal procedures when dealing with agents and transfers."

LK