Eight top Premier League managers have been accused of receiving “bungs” for player transfers after England manager Sam Allardyce was forced to step down following a newspaper sting.
New allegations have been levelled at football bosses in England after undercover footage appeared to show agents boasting about how many managers they had paid, with one saying that “everything is under the table”.
Descriptions of the accused managers have been released by the Daily Telegraph, although their identities remain hidden.
This latest allegation comes a day after Alllardyce, who was the England manager for just 67 days, was forced to step down following a Telegraph investigation showing him advising businessmen how to get around rules on transferring players as part of a potential £400,000 deal.
Speaking to reporters outside his home on Wednesday, Allardyce said that he had “paid the consequences but entrapment has won on this occasion”.
He reiterated that he attended the meetings with undercover reporters, who claimed to represent a firm in the Far East, as a favour for his friend who was down on his luck.
Allardyce said: “On reflection it was a silly thing to do but just to let everybody know that I wanted to help out somebody that I had known for 30 years and unfortunately it was an error of judgement on my behalf... I’ve paid the consequences but entrapment has won on this occasion and I have to accept that.”
The 61-year-old added: “The agreement was done very amicably with the FA. I apologise to those and all concerned.”
The Telegraph reports that unlicensed Italian agent Pino Pagliara, who was banned from football for five years for match-fixing in 2005, spoke openly about “bent” managers whose “greed” he relied one.
Pagliara and two other agents named eight current or former Premier League managers who said they were known for taking “bungs”.
“There’s one thing I’ve always been able to rely on, and that is the greed of general managers,” Pagliara allegedly said.
A bung is an illegal payment to incentivise a club manager, or someone equally influential, to make a transfer to happen.
Two bosses of Championship clubs were also said to have been open to illicit payments, the Telegraph reports.
The eight managers have not been named, but the Telegraph did release descriptions of them “as described by agents”:
Manager 1
Pino Pagliara said the ex-top flight boss used a Swiss bank account: “I can call [X] now and all it is with [X] is ‘How much, Pino? And will it be the same Swiss bank account?’”Manager 2
Pagliara claimed the former Premier League manager has had “more backhanders than Wimbledon”. Adding: “He’s had so much [money] now that all of a sudden he’s whiter than white.”Manager 3
Pagliara claimed the boss was allegedly sacked for having “his fingers in the till” after managing several British clubs.Manager 4
Pagliara said he knew the boss, who had managed in the Premier League, “very, very well” and would ask: “Is there a little coffee for me, Pino?” when agreeing a transfer with Pagliara.Manager 5
Pagliara claims the former Premier League boss also used a Swiss bank account. He said: “It was always numbered accounts.”Manager 6
Pagliara said the ex-player turned manager often liked an extra payment because he was not earning a big salary at his club.
Manager 7
The Premier League manager was “put on the payroll” by Pagliara: “We’ll turn round to [X] and say, listen, if you take this player we’ll look after you. OK? OK, boom.”Manager 8
Another agent, Dax Price, claimed the experienced boss accepted monthly payments of up to £4,000 from players he had secured extra payments of £8,000 per month.
Pagliara said last night: “I have never paid bungs to anyone. I have never paid any money to any of these managers.”
He said that he had “fabricated” the stories based on “hearsay” to impress the undercover reporters in the hope of securing a lucrative contract with the fictitious firm.