​England Manager Sam Allardyce Caught in Premier League Transfer Market Sting

EXCLUSIVE INVESTIGATION: England manager Sam Allardyce for sale https://t.co/LkRBwuAern #football4sale pic.twitter.com/IivG9ghbLO
— The Telegraph (@Telegraph) September 26, 2016

The new manager of England's national football club, Sam Allardyce, appears to be in hot water after investigative reporters caught him on camera advising people he thought were "Far East" businessmen on how to scam the Premier League's billion-pound transfer market.

The Telegraph reports that Allardyce, who has been accused of taking bribes in the past, agreed to an imaginary £400,000 deal in exchange for advice on how to make money via "third-party ownership," which is against the rules of the Football Association, the sport's governing body in England, along with those of FIFA. Allardyce reportedly told the men that, during his time managing West Ham, Enner Valencia was part of a third party arrangement when he signed him for £12 million.

Allardyce was hired in July, succeeding Roy Hodgson, who quit after a disastrous Euro tournament for team England. It did not take Allardyce long, according to the Telegraph, to start taking advantage of his new position as manager, which already paid him £3 million a year to coach:

Before he had even held his first training session as England's new head coach, Allardyce negotiated a deal with men purporting to represent a Far East firm that was hoping to profit from the Premier League's billion-pound transfer market.

He agreed to travel to Singapore and Hong Kong as an ambassador and explained to the "businessmen" how they could circumvent Football Association rules which prohibit third parties "owning" players.

Unbeknown to Allardyce, the businessmen were undercover reporters and he was being filmed as part of a 10-month Telegraph investigation that separately unearthed widespread evidence of bribery and corruption in British football.

The transfer market is the forum in which individual players are made available to change teams, and for teams to exchange money. Since 2008, it has been against the rules for a third party to get involved legally because, well, it is extremely shady.

Their sting operation on Allardyce is just the tip of the iceberg, the Telegraph claims, in an even bigger investigation into corruption in the sport.

[Telegraph]