Sam Allardyce may be yet to give a statement on The Daily Telegraph investigation which has cast doubt on his England future, but another man allegedly implicated has broken his silence.
Scott McGarvey, who reportedly features alongside the England manager in the offending video – in which the paper alleges Allardyce discusses bypassing the FA’s third party ownership rules with undercover reporters – has issued a statement on the matter through a spokesperson.
“There is little doubt that the lure of the project and his role in it has resulted in our client providing colourful information to enhance and secure his role as was being offered to him,” McGarvey’s spokesperson is quoted as saying in the paper’s latest story on the subject.
“Our client does not accept that he made statements about apparently improper behaviour.”
The Daily Telegraph reports that the England manager has not responded to specific questions put to him with regard to the allegations, which have left the former West Ham, Bolton and Sunderland boss odds-on to have left his post before the national team’s next World Cup qualifier against Malta on October 8.
It quotes a spokesman for Allardyce, who has reportedly requested “the full facts in relation to this matter”.
The English FA are thought to be investigating the allegations against the manager, who took charge of his first England match earlier this month, following an email from The Daily Telegraph which the paper claims details the findings from two separate meetings between Allardyce and undercover reporters.
The paper cites the following regulations relating to official FA intermediaries:
‘An Intermediary must not give, offer or seek to offer, any consideration of any kind, either directly or indirectly, to any club, club official, manager or player as a result of, or in connection with, a transaction or in return for any benefit, service, favour or any kind of preferential treatment in respect of the club’s players, access to those players or the promotion of the intermediary’s services with those players. Clubs, club officials, managers and players are prohibited from accepting such offers or receiving such consideration.’
Main Image: The Daily Telegraph