England manager Sam Allardyce filmed 'offering advice on bypassing FA transfer rules'

Allardyce: The England manager was filmed in an undercover investigation
PA
Mark Chandler27 September 2016

England manager Sam Allardyce has been filmed appearing to advise businessmen on getting around an outlawed player transfer practice, as part of a newspaper sting.

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.

Allardyce 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.

In Pictures: Sam Allardyce's managerial career

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The FA has so far declined to comment on the allegations.

Additional reporting by the Press Association

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