LONDON, Sept 27: England manager Sam Allardyce's comments during a newspaper sting will be examined by his employers at the Football Association.
Allardyce, who has only been in charge for one World Cup qualifying match since succeeding Roy Hodgson as England manager, was filmed by Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper appearing to advise undercover reporters posing as businessmen on how to sidestep an outlawed player transfer practice. He was also filmed negotiating a 400,000-pound ($519,000) deal with a soccer agency and reportedly mocking Hodgson.
FA chairman Greg Clarke told The Times of London newspaper after the Telegraph story was published online late Monday that he wants "the facts in the morning and I will look into it."
Allardyce decries entrapment as England job ends in disgrace
"With things like this you have to take a deep breath and have all the facts and hear everything from everyone," Clarke was quoted as saying on the Times website. "Then you can make a judgment about what to do and that's what we will do. Natural justice requires us to get to the bottom of these issues before we make any decision."
The Telegraph published its undercover investigation under the front-page headline: "England manager for sale."
Allardyce met people he reportedly thought were representatives of an Asian firm. In a grainy, edited video, he is recorded as saying it was "not a problem" circumventing FA rules that stop third parties owning the economic rights of players. FIFA has banned third-party ownership as a threat to the game's integrity because investors force transfers to make a profit.
"You can still get around it," the former Sunderland and West Ham manager said. "I mean obviously the big money's here."
Allardyce, who was hired in July after England's shocking loss to Iceland at the European Championship, is preparing for England's second 2018 World Cup qualifier against Malta next month.
The Telegraph also reported that Allardyce told its undercover reporters that Hodgson sent his players "all to sleep" and mimicked a speech impediment.
