A gastropub in Manchester is a fitting venue for the latest corruption sting on England manager Sam Allardyce. While his poncey European counterparts are busy nosing the bouquet on a glass of dry white wine, Big Sam, who only took up the top job back in July, is laid back in his seat, the buttons on his shirt bulging as he swigs from a tall pint glass.
This is the image that you’ll see on the front cover splash of today’s Daily Telegraph. A 10-month undercover operation has concluded with the brassy headline: ‘England manager for sale’. Allardyce, it is claimed, has conspired with a couple of ‘businessmen’ to concoct methods of working around the English FA’s transfer rules, something that is presented as the ethical boundary for football managers today. Today, the FA has summoned Allardyce to Wembley for showdown talks and the Times are now reporting that he is set to be sacked.
It’s not the first time Allardyce has faced corruption allegations.
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