IPSO adjudication: Sam Allardyce

IN SEPTEMBER 2016, The Telegraph published the “Football for Sale” investigation comprising around 100 articles in the newspaper and online across news, sport and comment.

Following publication, representatives of Sam Allardyce – the former England manager – submitted a complaint to the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) about the use of subterfuge and how his comments were represented. In total, lawyers for Mr Allardyce complained about some 15 points of accuracy under clause one of the Editors’ Code.

IPSO issued an adjudication in October 2017, but a review was conducted after Mr Allardyce’s representatives raised questions about the decision. Following some revisions to IPSO’S original adjudication, Mr Allardyce’s representatives again challenged the adjudication, raising more than 25 grounds for review. IPSO issued a final, revised adjudication which it has published today.

On the major issues raised by Mr Allardyce, IPSO found for the Telegraph. It upheld our right to use subterfuge and secret filming, since there was a strong public interest in investigating and it was reasonable for the Telegraph to have believed that it could only obtain material evidence through subterfuge.

Additionally, IPSO found that whilst it could not be demonstrated that Mr Allardyce had broken any Football Association rules, he appeared to show disregard for them and had spoken disrespectfully about them to people he had only just met.

Further, although any intention of achieving any improper benefit was denied, he had explained a model that could reasonably be understood to result in a third party benefitting from a player’s transfer from one team to another.

Save for three inaccuracies, two of which were contained in two comment articles, IPSO found that the coverage of the investigation was not in breach of clause one of the Code. The correction it has required the Telegraph to publish appears in our usual “Corrections and Clarifications” spot today.