Report: Allardyce advised undercover reporters how to 'get around' FA rules

England manager Sam Allardyce was caught on tape negotiating a £400,000 advisory deal and telling a group of undercover reporters posing as businessmen how to "get around" FA rules on player transfers, The Telegraph has disclosed following a 10-month investigation.

Allardyce, reportedly having agreed to travel to Singapore and Hong Kong, is seen on film telling a group of journalists posing as representatives of a Far East firm interested in third-party player rights that it was "not a problem" bypassing rules introduced by the FA in 2008 regarding agency fees and player rights.

The FA banned third-party ownership in 2008 and FIFA banned the practice in 2015, but Allardyce revealed he knows agents who still do it "all the time" and advised the representatives they "can still get around it," adding: "I mean obviously the big money's here."

Allardyce reportedly went on to explain how the representatives of the firm could arrange their practice in order to make money in this space.

"What they would be better doing is making sure they've got the ownership and the agents," Allardyce appears to tell the representatives in a video posted by The Telegraph. "So they own the agent - the agent works for them, as well. (Because) then the agent - if he (the player) gets sold on again - the agent will get more money if he gets sold on again.

"You get a percentage of the player's agent's fee that the agent pays to you, the company, because he's done that new deal at that club again or they sell him on, and you're not getting a part of the transfer fee anymore 'cause you can't do that ... but, but you get - because of the size of the contracts now, the contract'll be worth £30, £40 million, at 10 percent.

"And you get, you get, you've done a deal with the agent where you're getting five percent of the agent's fee which is massive for doing about two hours' work."

Allardyce and his party advised the undercover reporters that third-party ownership is banned in England and France, before saying "you can still get around it."

The £400,000 annual consultancy agreement would "involve meeting investors in a firm interested in third-party ownership," The Telegraph reports.

The Telegraph writes:

A £400,000 agreement with a football agency firm is a potential conflict of interest for an international football manager as it raises the possibility that he is 'employed' by a company whose footballer clients could benefit from preferential treatment.

Allardyce is also reportedly quoted slamming the FA for Wembley Stadium renovations, saying "they (the FA) stupidly spent £870 million on Wembley, so they're still paying that debt off. They completely rebuilt it. If they'd built it anywhere else, it would have cost about £400 million."

The Telegraph noted it has filed its findings to the FA.