FA warns Allardyce he faces misconduct charges
Former England manager was ‘broken man’ after revelations, says FA chief
SAM ALLARDYCE, the former England manager, could be charged with bringing the game into disrepute following the Telegraph disclosures that cost him his job, the chief executive of the Football Association has said.
Martin Glenn said there was a “realistic” chance that Allardyce could be charged, which could ultimately lead to a fine or a ban from the game if the charges are upheld.
Mr Glenn said Allardyce had been a “broken” man when he realised the “colossal mistake” he had made in discussing with undercover reporters how to avoid FA rules on player transfers and negotiating a £400,000 deal for speaking engagements.
He said: “It is realistic he could be charged. The Telegraph are releasing the full transcripts to the police, which is what has to happen, and once we get full access to them we’ll pass them to our Integrity Unit. We’ve dealt with Sam as an employee.
“Sam’s role as a participant in the game will be part of this next process, if there is one. The decision will be based on the merits of the evidence.
“You could guess that bringing the game into disrepute might be a possible charge. But I can’t really comment because we have a separation of powers at the FA – a separate charging unit – and I can’t interfere.” Asked what po- tential sanctions Allardyce could face, he said: “It could range from a fine to a ban. That’s what the history shows. That’s for a tribunal to decide.”
Talking about the moment he discovered Allardyce was in trouble, he said: “I got a call on Monday afternoon and it looked pretty serious. [The next day] we interviewed Sam, asked him for his opinions. We spent an hour with him, then we asked him to leave us, it got to about 2pm and by 3.30-4pm we concluded it was in the best interests of the FA that he should go.
“I think it was specifically around the implication that we will help third parties get round FA rules. If you are there to be the rule enforcer of the game it is an impossible position.
“I felt personally really bad for him – this is a guy who has wanted the job for ever and realised he had made a colossal mistake and was broken by it but he was not in denial and he actually accepted it. We didn’t get any of the angry behaviour I might have expected. It was a deep sigh and resignation saying, ‘I realise I messed it up’ and I think he has been consistent in saying that.”