Football: England manager quits over corruption claim

LONDON

Sam Allardyce, manager of the England national football team, has quit after just one game in charge over his part in an alleged corruption scandal.

Allardyce’s contract was terminated after a newspaper filmed him appearing to negotiate a £400,000 ($520,840) agreement to give advice to businesspeople on how to circumvent player transfer rules.

He had been appointed in July after England crashed out of this summer's Euro 2016 tournament following an unexpected defeat to Iceland.

Footage released by the Daily Telegraph on Tuesday showed Allardyce saying he would use his role as England manager to help companies in Singapore and Hong Kong secure third-party ownership of football players – which contravenes rules set by the English Football Association (FA) and Fifa, the sport’s governing body.

The FA said in a statement: “Allardyce's conduct, as reported today, was inappropriate of the England manager. He accepts he made a significant error of judgment and has apologized.

“However, due to the serious nature of his actions, the FA and Allardyce have mutually agreed to terminate his contract with immediate effect.

“The manager of the England men's senior team is a position which must demonstrate strong leadership and show respect for the integrity of the game at all times,” it added.

The England manager is paid a higher annual salary than any other national team coach in the world, according to sporting website Total Sportek.

Allardyce was reported to have agreed an annual salary of £3 million ($3.91m) plus bonuses.

His tenure saw just one competitive game, a 1-0 World Cup qualifying match victory over Slovakia.