Sam Allardyce could face Football Association charges and even a ban following the controversy that brought his England reign to an abrupt end.
Exiting Euro 2016 at the last-16 stage to Iceland should have been the Three Lions’ lowest ebb this year, yet Roy Hodgson’s successor managed to add another embarrassing chapter.
Allardyce’s dream job came to an end after just 67 days as the Daily Telegraph released secretly-filmed footage of him making controversial remarks about a variety of subjects, including side work and circumventing Football Association regulations.
It was a galling end to the briefest of spells and one which FA chairman Greg Clarke said would be investigated, __with chief executive Martin Glenn announcing charges could be brought against Allardyce.
“It is realistic,” he said when asked if charges could follow. “I am pleased that the Telegraph are releasing (the full transcripts) to the police first because that is what has to happen.
“Once we get access to that, we have a separate integrity unit. It’s very good.
“We’ve treated Sam as an employee. Sam’s role as a participant in the game will then be, potentially, part of this next process, if there is one.
“It’s not for me to call but once the evidence is clear, the decision will be based on the merits of the evidence.
“You could guess probably bringing the game into disrepute might be one, but I can’t comment on it because we do have a separation of powers within the FA, we have a separate charging unit I can’t interfere with.”
When asked what potential sanctions Allardyce could face, Glenn said: “It ranges and it depends.
“It could range from a fine to a ban – that’s what the history has been on those kind of things. But it will be for a tribunal to decide, an independent tribunal.”
The FA has to wait to receive all the Telegraph’s transcripts from its wide-ranging investigation into British football, __with police being given first access.
Glenn says the sooner the affected parties get the information the better, although he underlined that as football’s regulator in England the FA can only work within certain parameters.
The chief executive was unable to confirm whether, as has been reported, Allardyce received a payment upon departing, but was more forthcoming when it came to his emotions surrounding the decision.
“(Do I feel) personally let down? I do,” Glenn said. “I have asked myself a lot about this.
“The easy decision was actually to keep him and tough it out. I do feel let down because I genuinely think for football reasons he was a really good choice and just what we needed after the Euros.
“Yeah, we knew he was a man of the world, we knew there had been a Panorama programme a few years ago.”
“He’s Sam, he’s loud, he’s brash but he is in the middle of the fairway in terms of behaviour, so I think that the reason I felt let down was I guess the surprise factor of it.”
Glenn confirmed Allardyce “wanted to stay” but the decision was unavoidable following senior-level group meetings before and after seeing him.
Meanwhile, Glenn admitted Arsene Wenger is among the candidates who “perfectly” fit the criteria to take the England job.
England Under-21 boss Gareth Southgate has been placed in interim charge for the remaining four matches of 2016, giving Glenn, FA chairman Greg Clarke and technical director Dan Ashworth the chance to take their time when recruiting a full-time successor.
Long-serving Arsenal manager Wenger, 66, is out of contract in the summer and would fit the bill, and he even said on Friday: “If I am free one day, why not?”
Glenn was keen not to talk about external possibilities but acknowledged: “Of course he’d fit the criteria perfectly. Of course he would, as would a few others.”