http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/28/sports/soccer/england-manager-sam-allardyce-undone-by-an-undercover-film.html 2016-09-28 03:09:45 England Manager Sam Allardyce Undone by an Undercover Film His employers at the Football Association found that footage shot by journalists from The Daily Telegraph contained conduct “inappropriate of the England manager.” === Sam Allardyce had made sure he looked the part. On the day he was presented as manager of England’s national team in July, Allardyce, 61, came wearing a Three Lions lapel badge, a shirt with his initials monogrammed on the cuffs and the broadest of grins. This, he said, was his “dream job.” The country might have still been reeling from the national team’s elimination from the European Championships at the hands of Iceland the previous month, but Allardyce was a picture of swagger and hope, shrugging off any hint of doubt or gloom. Was he daunted by the job? “I think I fit the chair,” he replied. What about the widespread idea that it was a uniquely unforgiving role, in which failure was almost certain? “Whatever pitfalls there might be, I’m looking forward to it,” he said. He turned to the news media in the room. “So bring it on, lads.” Not quite, it seems. On Tuesday, 67 days after he was given the job, Allardyce was removed from it, his employers at the Football Association decreeing that His dream job lasted just one game. At first glance, nothing Allardyce said in the incriminating footage alone explains his dismissal. Over the course of two meetings, Allardyce spent about four hours with reporters posing as businessmen from East Asia interested in investing in soccer. He was indiscreet, criticizing his predecessor, Roy Hodgson, and the F.A. itself. He was coarse, too, offering an assessment of Prince Harry that, while not entirely inaccurate, will certainly not be appreciated. More damaging were his avarice and his braggadocio, apparently suggesting he would be interested in taking a job visiting East Asian counties as a self-appointed “keynote speaker” for 400,000 pounds (about $521,000) a year. But the most controversial element was his explanation of how to circumvent rules on third-party ownership, a model in which companies or individuals own some or all of the economic rights of players that was banned by the Premier League in 2008 and by FIFA in 2014. In the film, Allardyce explained that he knew of a group that had been “doing it for years” before outlining how potential investors would seek to make a return. He was, the Telegraph suggested, offering “advice” on how to break the rules. A judge might find it difficult to unpick whether he was simply explaining how it is done, rather than condoning or recommending it. The F.A., by contrast, could not afford to examine the nuance. “The manager of the England men’s senior team is a position which must demonstrate strong leadership and show respect for the integrity of the game at all times,” it said in a statement. In reality, the cumulative effect of the allegations meant that the F.A. had little choice. That is primarily a result of the position the F.A. has occupied as soccer’s moral arbiter. Throughout the many and various scandals that have dogged global soccer in recent years, the F.A. has cast itself as a beacon of righteousness: It refused in 2010, for example, to bid for World Cup tournaments it would not win anyway until Sepp Blatter and his cronies were ousted in Zurich. For the F.A., claiming to be the world’s policeman while turning a blind eye to apparent offenses at home would have been the rankest hypocrisy. Allardyce was said to be devastated by his removal, but the mourning will not be widespread. To most, he was, at best, the least worst option. During his brief spell, he won his first and only game, but faced opprobrium not only for his assertion after that match that Wayne Rooney, his off-color captain, was experienced enough to choose where he wanted to play but also for his decision to draft in two comedians, Paddy McGuinness and Bradley Walsh, to lighten the mood among his players. Allardyce has long harbored a belief that his opportunities are limited and his greatness unrecognized because he is not an exotic outsider. He once claimed that had he been known as “Allardici,” he could have managed the European giants Real Madrid or Inter Milan. And yet here he is, cut loose by the F.A., a man who believed that tactics did not apply to the captain and brought in two midrank TV comedians for entertainment, over a video that showed him being boorish and boastful. He understandably hates his caricature, but has been undone by conforming to it. Once the irony has ebbed away, however, the F.A. will have to face an uncomfortable truth. Three of the last seven managers the F.A. appointed left the job for nonsporting reasons: Glenn Hoddle made deeply unpleasant comments about the disabled, Fabio Capello left amid a controversy over John Terry, and now Allardyce. There is a pattern here. The cliché has long run that managing England is an impossible job — for a nation that expects World Cup finals but produces group-stage players — but there can be few more unappealing ones, too. In 2012, on his sabbatical from Barcelona, Pep Guardiola contacted the F.A. to express an interest in the position. Because of the organization’s desire to remain native, his entreaties were rebuffed. If it is unthinkable, now, that the F.A. might turn him down, it is even more unimaginable that he would apply for it. Allardyce was not tough enough, despite his boasts, so who is? Bring him on.