skip to main content

Sam Allardyce under pressure after undercover expose

Sam Allardyce was only appointed 66 days ago
Sam Allardyce was only appointed 66 days ago

The Football Association is awaiting further details of conversations Sam Allardyce held with undercover reporters after the emergence of video appearing to show the recently-appointed England manager making a variety of controversial comments.

An embarrassing Euro 2016 exit at the last-16 juncture to Iceland led to Roy Hodgson and his coaching staff's immediate departure, with Allardyce announced as successor in July.

However, just 66 days after being appointed, the 61-year-old's role with the Football Association is in question after the Daily Telegraph's investigations team secretly filmed him appearing to advise businessmen on how to sidestep an outlawed player transfer practice.

In an undercover operation by the Daily Telegraph, Allardyce met people who he thought were representatives of a Far East firm following his appointment to one of English football's most coveted roles.

He was captured appearing to tell reporters that it was "not a problem" getting around FA rules that stop third parties "owning" football players' economic rights.

The controversial practice was banned by the FA - Allardyce's employers - in 2008 over concerns it compromised the integrity of the game, as the third party could profit whenever a player was sold.

When asked about the rules, Allardyce was filmed on a hidden camera saying: "It's not a problem."

He added an unnamed group had been "doing it for years" and "you can still get around it", suggesting they employ the player's agents to compensate for the fact they are no longer allowed to profit from each transfer directly.

He added: "You get a percentage of the player's agent's fee that the agent pays to you, the company, because he's done that new deal at the club again or they sell him on, and you're not getting a part of the transfer fee any more, because you can't do that.

"But, you get - because of the size of the contracts now, the contract will be worth thirty, forty million, at 10% and you've done a deal with the agent where you're getting 5% of the agent's fee, which is massive for doing about two hours' work."

It is alleged by the paper that a deal was struck with the England manager worth £400,000.

The meeting with reporters also saw Allardyce appear to be filmed questioning predecessor Hodgson's decision at Euro 2016, at times calling him "Woy" - a word used in a headline in 2012 that the FA called "unacceptable" and relating to Hodgson's rhotacism.

On his employers, the FA, the video seems to show the England boss saying: "They're all about making money aren't they? You know the FA's the richest football association in the world?"

He qualified that by saying the governing body is not the richest as "they stupidly spent £870million on Wembley, so they are still paying that debt off".

Allardyce called Prince Harry a "very naughty boy" and complained that the Duke of Cambridge, the FA president, did not turn up to last week's Euro 2020 launch.

The England manager is also reported to have been filmed discussing the gambling habits of the country's current or former senior internationals, the chances of players lining up for England and Hodgson's assistant Gary Neville.

Allardyce, who led Sunderland to Premier League survival last season, was appointed England manager on July 22 after what the FA called a "comprehensive and structured process".

His 22-year-old career in club management had previously seen him take charge of Blackpool, Notts County, Bolton, Newcastle, Blackburn and West Ham.

Allardyce's England reign got off to a winning start earlier this month when a last-gasp Adam Lallana goal secured a 1-0 win in Slovakia in their first World Cup qualifier.

His first home match in charge is due to be against Malta on October 8, which is followed by another qualifier three days later, in Slovenia.

Read Next