FA, Premier League and EFL to investigate transfer corruption allegations

Matt Slater28 September 2016

English football's beleaguered authorities have promised they will take a zero-tolerance approach to any cases of corruption within the game.

The FA, the Premier League and the EFL issued a short joint statement on Wednesday evening in response to allegations made in the Daily Telegraph that 10 unnamed managers took bribes in player transfers.

The newspaper made the allegations on Wednesday as part of its undercover investigation into corruption in football - and there is the prospect of further serious claims to come.

The statement read: "English football takes the governance of the game extremely seriously with integrity being of paramount importance.

"Any substantive allegations will be investigated with the full force of the rules at our disposal, which are wide-ranging and well-developed. In addition, should we find any evidence of criminality we would inform and seek the support of the appropriate statutory authorities."

Earlier, the League Managers Association said it was "extremely concerned" about the latest allegations.

Separate revelations from the newspaper led to Sam Allardyce, who made a series of damaging remarks on a range of issues, losing his job as England manager on Tuesday.

Several football agents were secretly filmed over the past 10 months and the newspaper reported that the agents alleged eight managers with Premier League experience and two from the Championship had taken so-called 'bungs' in transfer deals.

None of the 10 managers have been named by the newspaper.

A statement from the trade union for managers from the English Football League and Premier League said: "The LMA is extremely concerned by the current situation of allegations made against a number of managers.

"We take the allegations very seriously as they are obviously damaging to the game.

"We know the FA has requested full disclosure from the Telegraph of all the relevant information it has, and we are working with the FA in dealing with the allegations, following the correct processes and procedures."

The newspaper issued a statement on Tuesday to say it would be providing the FA with its evidence as soon as it had been collated.

The Telegraph named Pino Pagliara, an unlicensed Italian agent, as one of the men it secretly filmed and reported that he claimed a former top-flight boss had taken "more backhanders than Wimbledon" and that another manager referred to an illicit payment as "a little coffee".

The allegations come a day after the newspaper revealed former Bolton, Blackburn, Newcastle, West Ham and Sunderland boss Allardyce apparently offering advice on how to "get around" rules on player transfers during another secretly filmed meeting.

It has also reported that Cardiff launched an investigation after auditors discovered unexplained payments relating to the 2014 loan move of Ravel Morrison from West Ham.

The Telegraph has reported that it contacted all of the managers named by the agents and five of them responded with denials of taking bungs - the rest have not replied, the newspaper said.

It has also said it will disclose later this week the name of an assistant manager at a leading club who was filmed taking a £5,000 cash payment from reporters posing as representatives of an Asian firm that wanted to invest in players.

Meanwhile, sports minister Tracey Crouch has turned the focus onto the FA's competence as a regulator.

"The integrity of sport is absolutely paramount and we have been clear that we expect the highest standards of governance and transparency from sports governing bodies, here in the UK and on the international stage," said Crouch in a written statement.

"In this context, the recent allegations regarding English football are very concerning and we will be discussing the matter with the football authorities.

"All the evidence presented to them must be investigated fully and we stand ready to assist in any way we can."

Questions have been raised about unlicensed agents ever since FIFA deregulated the industry in 2015, leaving it up to each national FA to oversee the market.

FIFA believed it was pointless trying to operate a global licensing system when most transfers did not involve licensed agents and all international deals now have to be logged via its Transfer Matching System, an online platform that logs the details of each deal.

But the Association of Football Agents chairman Mike Miller believes the new system is not working.

Following a meeting of the AFA board, Miller said: "The global move to deregulation has not worked and it has allowed the system to be more open to manipulation and abuse.

"The time has come for the key stakeholders in this country to genuinely come together to establish a new framework for the future and we would be happy to progress those discussions with immediate effect.

"Ultimately, changes to the current set-up should also be enforceable globally and this must involve UEFA and FIFA to help spread best practice around the world and re-introduce a system of licensing and regulation which works and is meaningful. We can make a positive start here to promote a better approach across the game."

Miller said the AFA acknowledged the Telegraph's investigation had "raised important questions" but defended the "important role" played by agents who work within the rules.

He added that his members were committed to helping any investigation into the allegations and exploring what steps can be taken to establish "an effective system of licensing and codes of conduct for agents".

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