England Manager Sam Allardyce Loses Job After Just One Game In Charge

England manager Sam Allardyce and the FA have “ mutually agreed to terminate his contract,” one day after The Telegraph published the results of a hidden-camera investigation in which Allardyce advises “businessmen” on how to get around third-party ownership rules. It isn’t a particularly damning investigation—The Telegraph didn’t publish evidence of any actual wrongdoing—and it seems just as likely that Big Sam was sacked for making intemperate (but true!) comments about the Football Association being rich and Wembley Stadium being a white elephant.

Allardyce lasted just 67 days in charge, overseeing a single 2018 World Cup qualifying match, which saw England beat Slovakia on an Adam Lallana injury-time goal. It’s a shame, because Allardyce is a good manager and innovative in some ways, and also because he is a larger-than-life personality prone to saying interesting things. Gareth Southgate will be England’s caretaker manager, and on the supposed shortlist to replace Allardyce are former Hull City manager Steve Bruce and Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew.