FA vow of silence over Sam pay-off

THE FA are blaming legal confidentiality issues for their failure to explain why Sam Allardyce was given a £1million pay-off after being sacked as England manager.

Chairman Greg Clarke pre-empted FA Council concerns about the huge severance deal for a boss who lasted just 67 days by giving members a detailed explanation yesterday of the FA’s course of action following Big Sam’s downfall.

Clarke’s address made great play of the FA legal team’s role in the decision to part company with Allardyce and clauses in the manager’s terms of departure stopping Clarke from talking about a pay-off first revealed by Sportsmail.

Clarke added that City of London Police still have all the relevant material on Allardyce’s entrapment by reporters while they assess whether any criminal activity took place.

The chairman’s statement had the desired effect and issues around Allardyce’s exit were not probed any further.

THE St George’s Park empire of FA technical director Dan Ashworth grows ever bigger, with interim England Under 21 coach Aidy Boothroyd — a close friend of Ashworth’s — likely to have that role made permanent if Gareth Southgate is confirmed as senior boss. Ashworth’s ‘England DNA’ is even encroaching into media territory and he watched the goalless draw against Slovenia from the press box with two video analysts. Meanwhile, an ITV peak viewing figure of 7.1million shows England’s armchair audience remain remarkably loyal even when the entertainment level is so low. ENGLAND cricketer Jimmy Anderson is interested in playing for Perth Scorchers in Australia’s Big Bash, despite the Twenty20 team being coached by Justin Langer. The former Aussie opener branded Anderson (right) a ‘bit of a pussy’ in his 2009 Ashes dossier.

SUCH is the attention on Wayne Rooney — with the majority of cameras turned towards him on the subs’ bench before kick-off in Slovenia — that it was no surprise the only agent who bothered travelling to Ljubljana was Rooney’s loyal adviser Paul Stretford.