Big Sam could be in big trouble.
England manager Sam Allardyce has been implicated in a ten-month investigation into corruption in English football by the Telegraph, the full details of which will be revealed over the coming days.
In
footage published on the Telegraph website on Monday evening, Allardyce can be seen advising undercover reporters posing as businessmen on how to “get around” FA rules on player transfers at a meeting in Singapore.
According to the Telegraph, the undercover reporters posed as businessmen purporting to represent a Far East firm looking to get involved in the Premier League transfer market and that Allardyce offered advice on how to get around FA rules prohibiting third party ownership of players.
During the course of two meetings, which took place shortly after his appointment as England manager, Allardyce’s agent can also be seen negotiating a deal worth £400,000 on his behalf and it is believed that a follow-up meeting took place at a Manchester restaurant last week.
Allardyce is also alleged to have made comments about Roy Hodgson, Gary Neville and Prince Harry that might raise an eyebrow or two and he did not respond to questions from the Telegraph 12 hours before going to press.
Allardyce’s agent, Mark Curtis and his financial adviser, Shane Moloney, also failed to respond to questions.
Having received an email about the findings in the Telegraph, meanwhile, a spokesperson for the FA said: “We have asked The Daily Telegraph to provide us with the full facts in relation to this matter.”
The revelations about Allardyce will be followed by more evidence of corruption in the English game uncovered as part of the Telegraph’s investigation, including ten managers named by agents as taking bribes to fix player transfers and a manager admitting that his players broke FA rules by betting on their own games.
