Crows CEO Andrew Fagan expects the AFL’s inquiry into the Club’s dealings with Eddie Betts to be resolved quickly, reaffirming the contract is in “accordance with AFL rules and regulations”.

Fagan contacted the AFL’s Integrity Department on Wednesday morning following accusations by now sacked Carlton coach Mick Malthouse that Adelaide had Betts “stitched up” while he was still under contract by the Blues. The Crows had not been contacted by the AFL prior to Fagan’s call.

The claim has been refuted by Betts’ manager, the Adelaide Football Club and the Carlton Football Club, through new CEO Steven Trigg who was in charge at West Lakes when Betts became a Crow.

Fagan said he was disappointed the Crows had been dragged into the situation at Carlton.

“I was quite frustrated and a little bit annoyed to be dragged into a drama that was engulfing another AFL club, and dragged into it inappropriately I think for something that really shouldn’t have been a concern for us,” Fagan said on Wednesday.

“This is a non-issue that has been made into an issue because of unrelated events.”

The Club has supplied the AFL with documentation relating to the signing of Betts.

“We did that proactively and spoke to the head of their Integrity Unit to ensure they were taking a look at it because of the media speculation that had arisen out of the events of yesterday,” Fagan said.

“We provided them with a paper trail and documentation that related to the signing of Eddie Betts. They’re looking at that right now.

“I think this will come and go pretty quickly because I expect that the AFL, in the not-too-distant future, will make it very clear that any contract dealings with Eddie Betts were above board and done in accordance with their rules and regulations.

“We refute any allegations to the contrary.”

Fagan, who was appointed as CEO at Adelaide last September, accepted that comparisons would be made to the Kurt Tippett contract saga that engulfed the Club in 2012. But he described some of the reporting that followed Malthouse’s comments on breakfast radio as “mischievous”, “inaccurate” and “disappointing”.

 “I guess there’s people connecting those dots (to 2012), but they shouldn’t be,” he said.

“The governance protocols that are in place at this football club are quite extraordinary and something that I haven’t seen in any other football club. The compliance we go through internally before we even make an offer is extraordinary.

“We’re a big footy club in a big footy town playing in the biggest code in the country. I expect that when comments like that are made, they’re going to draw attention to the issue itself and to the Club more specifically.

“It didn’t surprise me, but it doesn’t make it any less frustrating when those sorts of things occur.”