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27th Sep 2016

Senior MP on government Sport committee wades into Sam Allardyce controversy

Should politics and football overlap?

Tom Victor

The pressure is growing on England boss Sam Allardyce after a leading MP insisted he should resign over the claims reported by the Telegraph this week.

Allardyce has been rocked by the allegations that he discussed circumventing FA rules on third party player ownership and criticised his predecessor Roy Hodgson and his assistant Gary Neville.

The former Sunderland boss was recorded making the comments on hidden camera by an undercover investigations team.

There have been reports that the FA is set to sack Allardyce, despite the fact he has been in charge for just one game, and now Damian Collins, Conservative MP for Folkestone and Hythe, has joined the calls for him to go.

Mr Collins’ input is significant for two reasons.

First, he is the acting chair of the House of Commons Select Committee for Culture, Media & Sport, the department with direct links to the Football Association, as well as other sporting bodies in the United Kingdom.

And secondly, he belongs to the ‘New FIFA Now‘ coalition, a voluntary organisation which calls for increased transparency and probity with regards to world football’s governing body.

The MP has called on Allardyce to resign if the allegations are proven to be true, and it should be noted that representatives for the England manager have asked the Telegraph for further specific details regarding his alleged discussions relating to bypassing third-party ownership rules in English football.

The Football Association has also received more in-depth information from the publication, having made a request for full transcripts of the recorded interviews in question.

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