Breaking: Sam Allardyce resigns from England manager post following newspaper sting operation

Sep 28, 2016 at 9:45 AM

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Breaking: Sam Allardyce resigns from England manager post following newspaper sting operation

Another scandal with explosive results has hit and England, the nation that invented modern soccer but long ago forgot how to excel at it, is looking for answers.

The latest head-scratcher is how Sam Allardyce, appointed manager of the England national team just 67 days ago, managed to get himself fired on Tuesday.

Long-suffering England fans took turns seeking solace in the hours after Allardyce was dismissed following a Daily Telegraph expose that claimed he offered undercover reporters advice on how to circumvent official player transfer regulations and profit from it.

The England job is cursed, some said. That is how, in the quarter century and more since the team last got a sniff of the World Cup’s business end, various coaches have seen their tenure ended for such matters as insulting the disabled, sleeping with a secretary, or, worst of all, being hopelessly inept at coaching soccer.

Such is the often farcical nature of England’s national team that a curse can’t be ruled out altogether. Far more realistic, though, is that the root of the problem, still, is the failure of the Football Association (English soccer’s governing body) to appoint appropriate candidates. That, and the nasty habit the men selected have had of letting arrogance, naivety and stupidity grasp them once they land the job of a lifetime.

Leading England is still a marvellous job for someone with the right approach. It is the highest-paid position in international soccer, with Allardyce having been due to receive up to $6 million a year. More than that, it provides the opportunity to take over a squad that has under-performed for the past two decades in a nation that craves soccer success as much as anywhere.

Win the World Cup with England and it’ll get you an audience with the Queen, the eternal adoration of the population and the chance, if you so wish, to stick “Sir” at the front of your name.

Instead, Allardyce is likely headed for soccer obscurity, all because he couldn’t keep his mouth shut.

It was a very English kind of comic tragedy. Allardyce’s agent had carried a shady reputation for years, and the coach was told squeaky-clean behaviour was expected when took the job after England’s disappointment at the European Championships.

Instead Allardyce got duped by reporters posing as businessmen from the Far East, who appeared to be offering him vast sums to speak at a soccer conference. In exchange, he described ways to get around soccer’s complicated and convoluted rules prohibiting third-party ownership of professional players – a practice that has the potential to earn “investors” huge sums of money.

Allardyce also mocked former England coach Roy Hodgson and assistant Gary Neville and generally made himself come across as a bit of an idiot. One newspaper splash, one hastily-convened meeting with FA chiefs, one announcement later and he was done, bringing to a close the shortest and most embarrassing managerial reign England has had.

Allardyce, touted as a blunt talker whose straightforward style could propel England to a brighter future, simply wasn’t smart enough to avoid the gaping pitfalls that presented itself in front of him.

It was enough to cost him his job, to leave England without a coach and leave the nation wondering how long before the next bout of nonsense afflicts its cherished team.

 

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