Contrite Allardyce ‘deeply disappointed’ at shock exit

LONDON: Sacked England manager Sam Al lardyce has tendered a “wholehearted apology” to the Football Association (FA) for embarrassing the governing body and is “deeply disappointed” at his shock exit following a newspaper sting.

The 61-year- old was sacked on Tuesday for seeking a lucrative sideline role while talking to undercover reporters from Britain’s Daily Telegraph.

The paper said it had hundreds of pages of transcripts from the meeting in which Allardyce was negotiating a deal worth 400,000

It was a great honour for me to be appointed back in July and I am deeply disappointed at this outcome.

pounds ( US$ 520,840) to represent a Far East firm seeking advice on the transfer market.

“It was a great honour for me to be appointed back in July and I am deeply disappointed at this outcome,” Allardyce, who replaced Roy Hodgson after England’s dismal Euro 2016 campaign, said in a statement on the FA website.

The former centre half who built his managerial reputation by get t ing the best out of unfashionable or struggling clubs met FA chairman Greg Clarke and chief executive Martin Glenn and offered a “sincere and wholehearted apology” for his actions.

“Although it was made clear during the recorded conversations that any proposed arrangements would need the FA’s full approval, I r e cogni se I made some comments which have caused embarrassment,” he said.

“...I was asked to clarify what I said and the context in which the conversations took place. I have co- operated fully in this regard. — Reuters

Sam Allardyce