Did the FA make the right decision sacking Sam Allardyce?

We now have the biggest debate since Brexit happening in English football. Sam Allardyce was relieved of his England duties on Tuesday evening after coming to a ‘mutual agreement with the FA’. 

There’s a crude naivety in the fact  the FA hired Sam Allardyce in the first place. In 2006, the BBC’s Panorama programme accused Allardyce of corruption - they successfully filmed his son detailing their involvement in three specific transfers, along with a comment from another man involved.

‘Once a cheat, always a cheat’ is a popular phrase used on people who enjoy bending rules that are set in stone. To no surprise, the former Sunderland manager was stung once again and this time it cost him his dream job as England manager.

The Telegraph exposed Big Sam, as a video of undercover journalists, acting upon a far-east Asian football agency, became apparent in which he said that it is ‘not a problem’ to high jump the rules of third-party ownership (TPO) in England. 

Because of the deals surrounding Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano when joining West Ham United, the Football Association (FA) banned TPO at the beginning of the 2008-09 season. 

The two players’ economic rights were part-owned by a London fund that was widespread in South America and some European countries. The furore was caused because in Tevez’s contract, it became abundantly clear that the third-party investor could move the player onto another club - and decide what the fee would be, without the involvement on the club he was registered with.

The Premier League said TPO caused questions to be asked about "the integrity of competition" and also the impact it could have on the development of young players.

It’s clear to see that Sam Allardyce was telling the undercover journalists how to get around those rules and regulations set by his own employer. It’s not the fact what he said was illegal - it’s not, he’s only stating how to do it not to do it - it’s the fact that he, as the England manager, represents the FA values and is supposed to be the focal spokesperson of integrity in English football.

When already on a £3m-per-year salary, what does it say about a man who goes out of his way to seek out another £400,000 - that would be bumped up to £600,000 - and by doing so, provides ‘investors’ with information to bypass the regulations laid out by the same people who hired him.

In fairness to Allardyce he does say on camera, which the Telegraph have noticeably placed at the bottom of their report, that he would need to run the keynote appearances in Far East Asia past the FA - which is considerate. 

However, what doesn’t help Allardyce’s case is his incredibly amateurish pub-talk of Roy Hodgson and Gary Neville. He’s caught on tape saying ‘Woy’ - which the FA described as ‘unacceptable’ when the Sun did likewise in a front-page headline. Allardyce is also seen to criticise the influence of assistant manager Gary Neville in the Euro set-up.

“Gary was the wrong influence for him…tell Gary to sit down and shut up, you do what you want. You’re the manager, you do what you want, not what anyone else wants.”

There’s plenty of sympathy for the man that’s tiresomely tried to secure the England job for a number of years but the timing’s never seemed to be right. There’s feeling sorry for someone and there’s being caught up in the emotion of it. 

If Allardyce had wanted this England job for so long, and claimed it was his ‘dream job’, why is he - having played one game - seeking extra money and boosting his own profile in far-east Asia? 

Just to add salt into an increasingly deep wound, it has become apparent that Allardyce was in collaboration in a Newcastle hotel venture with captain Wayne Rooney and goalkeeper Joe Hart.

For a manager that’s supposed to have impartiality in picking players, there would seem to be a considerable conflict of interest when selecting his teams. At a time where Rooney is so out of form it’s embarrassing to see ex-professionals jump to his defence, it would have been intersting to see how Big Sam would’ve judged the situation further down the line. 

In a joint FA, Premier League and EFL statement released on Wednesday evening, the line that stood out the most read that: “Any substantive allegations will be investigated with the full force of the rules at our disposal, which are wide-ranging and well-developed.”

Greg Dyke, ex-chairman of the FA, described Allardyce as ‘stupid’ and labelled his actions as ‘ridiculous’. The LMA, League Manager Association, have come out and said they are ‘extremely concerned’ by the allegations made against other managers [insert Tele link].

The FA, without much work, could have swatted this situation away. They could have stood by their man through the deep, murky waters in which they tread and come out the other side. Instead, Martin Glenn, FA’s chief executive, has chosen to sack him. It would appear that the FA are attempting to take the moral high ground.

Though, what moral ground do they now possess? Their organisation has been deeply embarrassed and their rules of integrity have now been entirely questioned by a manager that’s gone behind their backs and circumvented how to get around third-party ownership. 

Mr. Glenn told a roomful of journalists after Roy Hodgson’s sacking that he’s ‘not a football expert’. Gareth Southgate, the current England manager for the next four games, addressed the media and said he wasn’t suitable for the job.

So, to recap: the chief executive - one of the men in charge of hiring the manager - is ‘not a football expert’, the current England manager isn’t suitable for the job, the captain is undroppable as his brand continues to pull rank and the FA are a deeply ashamed organisation that hold no high ground over anyone, including Fifa. 

There might not be a lower point in English football than this week. Savour it. Or don’t: you never know what next week might entail.