LONDON: Sam Allardyce admitted an "error of judgement" on Wednesday after his career as England manager came to a humiliating end following controversial comments made to undercover reporters.
"Entrapment has won on this occasion and I have to accept that," Allardyce told reporters outside his home in Bolton, northwest England.
"I think that on reflection it was a silly thing to do," he said. "But just to let everybody know, I sort of helped out what was somebody I'd known for 30 years (football agent Scott McGarvey).
"Unfortunately it was an error of judgement on my behalf and I've paid the consequences," he added the morning after he was forced out of the England job following a mere 67 days in charge of the national side.
Meanwhile, amid reports he had a received a £1 million ($1.3 million, 1.1 million euros) pay-off, Allardyce refused to rule out a future role in football.
"Who knows? We'll wait and see."
Allardyce's England reign was sensationally brought to a close on Tuesday as he paid the price for indiscreetly talking with undercover Daily Telegraph reporters posing as Far East businessmen.
The 61-year-old was secretly filmed giving advice on how to circumnavigate transfer rules and mocking his England predecessor Roy Hodgson.
Allardyce, appointed England manager in July on a £3 million ($3.9 million, 3.5 million euros)-a-year contract, also agreed to travel to Singapore and Hong Kong as an ambassador for their fictitious firm for a fee of £400,000.
Allardyce and England's governing Football Association agreed his position was untenable, leaving him with no choice but to quit his post.
The Telegraph investigation has also alleged eight unnamed managers with Premier League experience took bribes for the transfers of players during secretly filmed interviews.
Tracey Crouch, Britain's sports minister, said the allegations were "very concerning".
"The integrity of sport is absolutely paramount and we have been clear that we expect the highest standards of governance and transparency from sports governing bodies, here in the UK and on the international stage," she said Wednesday.
"In this context, the recent allegations concerning English football are very concerning and we will be discussing the matter with the football authorities."
- Agents call for change -
Her comments came after former England captain Alan Shearer said the sheer amount of money within the English game, as exemplified by the lucrative Premier League, had created an unhealthy culture.
"We've got a problem. It's greed, isn't it?," Shearer said.
Meanwhile the Association of Football Agents called for better regulation of their industry, saying in a statement issued Wednesday: "The global move to deregulation has not worked and it has allowed the system to be more open to manipulation and abuse.
"Ultimately, changes to the current set-up should also be enforceable globally and this must involve UEFA and FIFA to help spread best practice around the world and re-introduce a system of licensing and regulation which works and is meaningful."
"No truth to the rumors regarding England," Klinsmann, the German 1990 World Cup-winning striker who became a popular figure in English football during his time as a forward with Tottenham Hotspur, wrote on Twitter.
Meanwhile, as Allardyce found himself stripped of the England job he had long coveted, he received sympathy from Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho.
"The only thing I can say is that I like Sam," said Mourinho. "I feel sorry for that because I know that was a dream job and I feel sorry for him."
Comments
Comments are closed.