Corruption in football

[therockbox]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/09/26/exclusive-investigation-england-manager-sam-allardyce-for-sale/

Quote

SAM Allardyce used his position as England manager to negotiate a £400,000 deal and offered advice to businessmen on how to “get around” FA rules on player transfers, The Telegraph can disclose.

Before he had even held his first training session as England’s new head coach, Allardyce negotiated a deal with men purporting to represent a Far East firm that was hoping to profit from the Premier League’s billion-pound transfer market.

He agreed to travel to Singapore and Hong Kong as an ambassador and explained to the “businessmen” how they could circumvent Football Association rules which prohibit third parties “owning” players.

Unbeknown to Allardyce, the businessmen were undercover reporters and he was being filmed as part of a 10-month Telegraph investigation that separately unearthed widespread evidence of bribery and corruption in British football.

Sam Allardyce
Sam Allardyce explained to the businessmen how they could circumvent FA rules which prohibit third parties ‘owning’ players CREDIT: TELEGRAPH
Over the course of two meetings, lasting four hours in total, Allardyce told the fictitious businessmen that it was “not a problem” to bypass the rules introduced by his employers in 2008.

He said he knew of certain agents who were “doing it all the time” and added: “You can still get around it. I mean obviously the big money’s here.”

During Allardyce’s meetings with the reporters he also:

Criticised his predecessor Roy Hodgson, dubbing him “Woy” and saying that he “hasn’t got the personality” for public speaking;
Said England’s players were underperforming because they had a “psychological barrier” and “can’t cope”;
Suggested that players who were not being played for their club should not be picked for England;
Described the FA decision to redevelop Wembley as “stupid”.
The issue of “third party ownership” in football has been described as “slavery”. It effectively allows companies to own a stake in a footballer. The FA led the way by banning the practice in 2008 and football’s world governing body, Fifa, followed in 2015.

Allardyce, 61, told his prospective employers it was “not a problem” to dodge the “ridiculous” rules.

Sam Allardyce caught on camera advising how to get around FA rulesPlay! 03:42
Last week the England manager followed up his initial meeting by having dinner with representatives of the fictitious firm in a Manchester restaurant, where he discussed dates when he could fly to Singapore.

Allardyce, who is paid £3 million a year plus bonuses by the FA, now faces questions about his judgment just weeks after his first and so far only match in charge of the national side. During the meetings he also made a series of remarks about the previous performances of the England team.

He said that Roy Hodgson was “too indecisive” during England’s crucial European Championship defeat to Iceland. He also said that Gary Neville – Hodgson’s assistant – was “the wrong influence” and should have been told to “sit down and shut up”.

The Telegraph began investigating corruption in English football last year after receiving information that specific managers, officials and agents were giving or receiving cash payments to secure player transfers. 

Over the coming days, the Telegraph will detail a series of allegations of financial impropriety in British football which raise serious questions about the governance and influence of money within the game.

During this summer’s transfer window, Premier League clubs spent a record £1.17 billion on player transfers, with Championship clubs adding another £214 million.

The disclosures are likely to raise concerns at the FA about corruption in English football and whether the industry is adequately regulated. Allardyce’s comments are likely to lead to questions from his employers at the FA, who expect the England manager effectively to act as an ambassador.

A £400,000 agreement with a football agency firm is a potential conflict of interest for an international football manager as it raises the possibility that he is “employed” by a company whose footballer clients could benefit from preferential treatment.

Allardyce told undercover reporters that the banned practice was still possible in “all of South America, Portugal, Spain, Belgium, all of Africa” and that the Ecuadorean player Enner Valencia had been under a third party ownership agreement when he signed him for £12 million for West Ham from a Mexican club in 2014. 

The third party ownership arrangement ended on the transfer and West Ham acquired the player “whole”. Asked if it would be a problem to get involved in third party ownership. Allardyce said: “It’s not a problem.”

Third party ownership involves an agent or an investor owning part of the financial rights to a player, meaning transfer fees are partly paid to them when a player moves clubs, rather than the buying club paying all the money to the selling club.

During a meeting at a London hotel in August, Allardyce, who was appointed by the FA on July 22, was happy to discuss third party ownership of players with two undercover reporters posing as representatives of a Far East-based company looking to get a foothold in the lucrative world of English football.

He attended the meeting with his agent, Mark Curtis, and his financial adviser, Shane Moloney, after being approached via the football agent Scott McGarvey, a long-time friend of Allardyce who was unaware of the undercover reporters’ involvement.

Mr Moloney asked Allardyce: “What do you think they’re doing on the football transfers financing?… the thing they’re talking about is funding football transfers.”

Mr Curtis interjected: “Is that third party ownership a problem though?”

Sam Allardyce, centre, with his financial advisor Shane Moloney, left, his agent Mark Curtis, second left, and football agent and former player Scott McGarvey at a meeting in London
Sam Allardyce, centre, with his financial advisor Shane Moloney, left, his agent Mark Curtis, second left, and football agent and former player Scott McGarvey at a meeting in London CREDIT: TELEGRAPH
Allardyce replied: “It’s not a problem… we got Valencia in. He was third party owned when we bought him from Mexico.” Mr Moloney made it clear that the ownership arrangement ended with the transfer.

Allardyce also gave advice on where third party ownership was still possible, despite the worldwide Fifa ban.

Allardyce has not been immune to controversy during his career managing clubs including West Ham United, Sunderland and Bolton Wanderers. In 2006 he was implicated in a BBC Panorama programme which alleged that he had taken “bungs” – a claim he denied. An independent investigation by the former Metropolitan Police commissioner Lord Stevens found no evidence of irregular payments. 

The Telegraph detailed its findings in an email to the FA yesterday morning which set out 18 questions about its findings, including Allardyce’s comments in the two meetings. However, the FA declined to answer any of the questions without receiving full transcripts of the conversations.

A spokesman replied nine hours later saying: “We have asked The Daily Telegraph to provide us with the full facts in relation to this matter.” 

The Telegraph put questions to Mr Allardyce, Mr Curtis and Mr Moloney 12 hours before going to press. All failed to respond.

 

I am shocked. Deeply, deeply shocked.

[Colly]

Triffic.

[therockbox]

Quote

Sam Allardyce mimicked his predecessor Roy Hodgson’s speech impediment by calling him “Woy” and saying he was no use as a public speaker because “he’d send them all to sleep”.

The England manager also suggested Hodgson had “just collapsed” as the national team crashed out of Euro 2016 to lowly Iceland, and that he had been “too indecisive”.

He said that Gary Neville, Hodgson’s assistant manager, had been “the wrong influence” and should have been told to “sit down and shut up”. 

Allardyce said the squad of players Hodgson took to the tournament was too young. He also told undercover reporters posing as Far East businessmen about the England chances of players including Joe Hart, Jack Wilshere and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. 

Sam Allardyce caught on camera advising how to get around FA rulesPlay! 03:42
Allardyce’s unguarded comments about his own players to a group of people he had never met before are likely to trouble his employers at the Football Association, as are his derogatory remarks about Hodgson.

The FA has previously complained about the use of the word “Woy” when referring to Hodgson.

During a one-hour meeting with the reporters – the first time Allardyce had met them – he spoke freely about his views on England’s football team and its previous manager.

Asked if Hodgson had outside earnings, Allardyce said: “No, he wouldn’t want to, he’d send them all to sleep, Roy. Woy. He hasn’t got the personality for it.”

In 2012 the FA accused The Sun newspaper of “unacceptable” behaviour after it poked fun at Hodgson’s speech with the headline “Woy Gets England Job… Bwing On The Euwos”.

The FA said the headline was “disrespectful” and “in poor taste”, suggesting they may want to speak to Allardyce about his own reference to “Woy”. 

Roy Hodgson, the former England manager, ahead of the England v Iceland match at Euro 2016
Roy Hodgson, the former England manager, ahead of the England v Iceland match at Euro 2016
In a meeting with undercover reporters at a London hotel, where Allardyce was discussing opportunities for earning extra money, he discussed his views on why England had done so badly at Euro 2016.

“Psychologically, we can’t cope,” he said. “There’s a psychological barrier.” Referring to Hodgson he said: “The players let him down in the end. I think maybe he was too indecisive. Cast a bit of an anxiety over to the players maybe. If that ever happened to me as a manager, I’d be absolutely gutted. It would be my fault.

“So I’d have come in at half time and gone, right: bang bang bang bang bang. And then if that didn’t work I’d have gone bang, substitute, substitute, know what I mean, and changed the complete style in the team…but he ummed and ah-ed and Gary Neville arguing about when to bring Rushford [sic] on…”

One of his advisers corrected him, saying “Rashford”, adding that “they only brought him on for five minutes” referring to Hodgson’s decision to bring on striker Marcus Rashford at the end of the Iceland game. 

Roy Hodgson, then England manager, and his assistant Gary Neville, during the Euro 2016 match between England and Iceland
Roy Hodgson, then England manager, and his assistant Gary Neville, during the Euro 2016 match between England and Iceland CREDIT: DAN MULLAN/GETTY IMAGES
Allardyce said: “They were arguing for 10 minutes about bringing him on, him and Gary Neville. So Gary was the wrong influence for him… ----ing, tell Gary to sit down and shut up, you do what you want. You’re the manager, you do what you want, not what anyone else wants.”

Turning to Iceland’s goals, he said: “If somebody makes two mistakes, one after the other, you’re gonna get in big trouble. We all make mistakes, but the next man can’t make the same ones. And Kyle Walker made a bigger mistake than Wayne Rooney.”

Allardyce agreed when one person in the meeting said he has “never felt lower” as an England fan than following the Iceland defeat. The manager then explained he believed the age of England’s squad was a vital factor.

“It was the youngest side in Europe. It was the youngest squad,” he said. “The average age was under 25. There are some stats out there that says that any team that wins a tournament has to be, has to have an average age of 27 or above.” 

Joe Hart and Dele Alli of England cut dejected figures after losing to Iceland during Euro 2016
Joe Hart and Dele Alli of England cut dejected figures after losing to Iceland during Euro 2016 CREDIT: REX/SHUTTERSTOCK
Allardyce was concerned about England players such as Rashford, the Manchester United youngster, failing to be picked for their club sides.

“Can’t play them then,” he said. “Joe Hart. Jack Wilshere, on the bench for Arsenal. Oxlade-Chamberlain on the bench. You can play them, but they’re not playing for the club. When they’re not playing for the club, they’re just short of match practice.”

Allardyce was talking about the players to what he thought was a group of investors looking to make money in the transfer market. The FA will now have to decide whether, in doing so, he risked a potential conflict of interest.

Asked if managers would fight him to stop him taking their players on international duty, he said: “That’s the name of the game innit, like.

“When they finish the game on Sunday I’m in control of the players. Not them.

“So if I want to call them up, I’ll call them up, whether they say I can or I can’t. I’ll call them up anyway. I don’t give a s--- about what you say.”

Turning to his employers, the FA, he said: “They’re all about making money aren’t they? You know the FA’s the richest football association in the world?” 

Wembley Stadium
Wembley will host the semi-finals and final of the Euro 2020 football tournament CREDIT: PAUL GILHAM/GETTY IMAGES
He then qualified his statement by saying the FA had the biggest turnover, but were not the richest, because “they stupidly spent £870 million on Wembley, so they are still paying that debt off”.

He said England’s home stadium was “fabulous”, but went on: “If they’d built it anywhere else, it would have cost about 400 million… most of the money the FA make will go to the interest on the debt”.

Wembley will host the semi-finals and final of the Euro 2020 football tournament, which is being held in 13 cities across Europe, rather than in one country.

Prince William and Prince Harry
Sam Allardyce described Prince Harry, left, as a 'very naughty boy', and complained that Prince William, right, 'never turned up' to an official launch event CREDIT: REX FEATURES
Last Wednesday, Allardyce attended the official launch of the event in London, and during a meeting with undercover reporters the next day he complained that the Duke of Cambridge, who is president of the FA, was “the only one who never turned up”.

He said: “He’s our ambassador for the Football Association, so it would have been nice if he’d have turned up but he obviously had more, much busier things on.”

Told that the Duke, who works for East Anglian Air Ambulance, is a helicopter pilot, Allardyce replied: “That’s Harry. Harry’s the helicopter man. Harry’s a naughty boy. He’s a very naughty boy, very naughty. He shows his bottom and all sorts.”

During a conversation about England’s upcoming matches, Allardyce said the national side were next due to play Malta and then “it’s Slovenia or something”. England play Slovenia on Oct 11. 

 

[Lineker]

"Hi, I'm available..."

OK so the FA have already placed Allardyce under investigation.

[FestiveJack]

Just the absolute idiocy of him. He may be done already.

[therockbox]

It's ok, nevermind, controversy over. We can all go back to bed.

[Lineker]

I'll be amazed if he survives this.

[Just Joe]

Looks like he's been drinking a pint of wine, what a bloke. 

[TCO]

34 minutes ago, Lineker said:

OK so the FA have already placed Allardyce under investigation.

 

He has to get the chop now really, be completely spineless if they let him continue.

[Adam]

If he does, is this the most embarrassing tenure in charge of England ever? Hell, of any team!?

One bloody game and he blows it.

[DavidMarrio]

1 hour ago, Adam said:

If he does, is this the most embarrassing tenure in charge of England ever? Hell, of any team!?

One bloody game and he blows it.

He can do a Tim Sherwood and go on about his win percentage!! Mr 100%

1 hour ago, Lineker said:

"Hi, I'm available..."

OK so the FA have already placed Allardyce under investigation.

I fucking hope not. Bloaty head would be awful and boring... think I'd rather have Pardew at least he'd be entertaining in the "oh what's that tit said/done now" way

[Moses Julep]

This is even better than Sven and the Sheikh.

[therockbox]

Going, going...

[Just Joe]

14 hours ago, Lineker said:

"Hi, I'm available..."

OK so the FA have already placed Allardyce under investigation.

"Wuh finished tenth in the world yer knar" 
 

"If wuh don't take wuh chances, wuh won't win games" 
 

"Wuh under pressure because fans turn up to the games and expect wuh to beat San Marino" 

[Adam]

Let's just have a Sunderland fatory of England managers.

Moyseh can take us to Euro 2020, then get Di Canio in to lead us to Qatar 2022. Be a laugh.

[Just Joe]

2 minutes ago, Adam said:

Let's just have a Sunderland fatory of England managers.

Moyseh can take us to Euro 2020, then get Di Canio in to lead us to Qatar 2022. Be a laugh.

I hear the Howard Wilkinson and Steve Cotterill duo are available.

[Adam]

If Steve Cotterill ever became England manager I'd change my nationality.

[Baddar]

Various journalists online...

"Hearing there's likely to be announcement that Allardyce has quit rather been sacked as England manager. Confirmation expected this evening."

[therockbox]

With any luck the Telegraph will have dirt on Bruce/Hoddle/Southgate as well, save the FA from themselves.

[Baddar]

He's been sacked according to Sky.