FA rocked by allegations of corruption
The English Football Association has this morning been fire fighting against allegations of corruption in the wake of the sacking of manager Sam Allardyce.
An investigation by The Telegraph showed Allardyce negotiating a fee of £400,000 to represent an overseas firm that was hoping to profit from Premier League transfers, before he had even named his first squad. The allegations have been described as corruption by many and The Telegraph has subsequently revealed that they have evidence of more managers and agents discussing the subject of taking ‘bungs’.
Bungs are where a manager is provided an incentive by a player or agent to sign them or let them sign for another club. Typically the manager would receive a cash payment for a transfer which they may not have completed otherwise. In clips of the investigation the newspaper has agents on camera talking about providing up to £30,000 to managers for the transfers.
After a dramatic day of revelations Allardyce was called to FA headquarters in London to explain himself amidst speculation of whether or not he would keep his job. The FA chief executive, Martin Glenn, and the newly appointed chairman, Greg Clarke, arrived at Wembley for a series of crisis meetings, as Allardyce set off for Wembley from his Bolton home. It ended with news filtering out to the media crews huddled outside that a “deeply disappointed” Allardyce had agreed to quit by “mutual consent”. He will be replaced for the next four matches, against Malta, Slovenia, Scotland and Spain, by the under-21 manager, Gareth Southgate.
It is reported that there were specific issues in the taped conversations that the FA felt it could not ignore. Allardyce offered advice on how to “get around” the FA’s own regulations on third-party ownership, was derogatory about his predecessor Roy Hodgson’s speech impediment, said that assistant Gary Neville should “sit down and shut up”, and criticised the FA’s “stupid” -Wembley redevelopment.He leaves with the unwanted record of the shortest managerial reign for a permanent appointee.
With The Telegraph seemingly on the verge of releasing more damning evidence of corruption in the game this extraordinary week could be about to get worse for the FA and English football.
