The Cottagers believe Richards helped Spurs do the £9m deal last July and are so irate about missing out on him that they want investigations into the transfer.
Fulham believe they had tied up an £11m deal with Pompey for the striker and are in no doubt that the situation altered when Richards became intertwined.
A source confirmed to SunSport: "Fulham believed Crouch was theirs. They were staggered when he joined Spurs for £2m less than they offered."
