England soccer coach Sam Allardyce is fighting for his future after seemingly admitting on video that knew of ways to skirt FIFA rules on player ownership.
The scandal came to light after the video recorded by undercover reporters from a British newspaper was published Monday.
The Daily Telegraph conducted a series of meetings with Allardyce where journalists posed as businessmen intending to invest in the English Premier League’s lucrative transfer market.
Appointed as England manager by the Football Association (FA) just two months ago, Allardyce is heard in the video published by the Daily Telegraph describing how it is “not a problem” to sidestep the “ridiculous” rules concerning third party ownership of footballers.
Third party ownership is when a company or person owns a share of economic rights to a footballer. Since 2015, football’s world governing body FIFA has implemented a worldwide ban on third party ownership.
Allardyce describes how players’ agents are “doing it all the time” because “you can still get around it […] the big money’s here” — a reference to England’s cash-rich Premier League.
Allardyce’s representatives have not responded to CNN’s request for comment.
In 2008, the FA banned third party ownership, effectively preventing companies from buying a stake in a footballer. Previously, part of a player’s transfer fee would be paid by an agent or investor, meaning the club wouldn’t have to pay the full fee required.
The FA is also yet to respond to CNN’s request for comment, with the British media reporting it had summoned Allardyce for talks on Tuesday.
In the Telegraph video, Allardyce is heard saying how Enner Valencia, the £12 million ($15.5 m) Ecuadorian international he signed while manager of West Ham in 2014, was initially third party owned.
The 61-year-old, who is reportedly paid in excess of $3.9 million (£3 million) per year by the FA, is also heard criticizing the previous England management.
He states that Roy Hodgson, his predecessor, was “too indecisive” and would “send all [the players] to sleep” because he didn’t have the “personality.”
Gary Neville, an assistant to Hodgson, is labeled “the wrong influence” and should have been told to “sit down and shut up.”
Speaking of the FA’s decision to develop Wembley, the England football team’s nation stadium, Allardyce says it was “stupid” and a “waste of money” due to the debt it has created.
The FA was very critical of FIFA’s governance record during the time of Sepp Blatter’s tenure and former England international Gary Lineker tweeted: “We can get on our high horses about FIFA etc. but we have a large glass house of our own.”
Lineker added: “Biggest issue for Sam Allardyce is advising on getting around 3rd party rules. As well, of course, very poor judgement. “
