FA Chair Greg Clarke told British MPs on Monday that the next England manager will "have to pass" strict behavior protocol tests and vow 100% commitment to the job, according to Rex Gowar of REUTERS. He would "ideally be English and, if not, should be fully conversant with the game in England" and have several years' experience of managing at the top level. Clarke, who has been FA chair since early September, was grilled by the Parliamentary Culture, Media & Sport Select Committee following Sam Allardyce's "ill-fated 67-day reign" as England manager. Clarke said, "Sam was in breach of his duties as an employee ... He let us down badly, because in the end we want an England manager whose sole priority is winning for the team." The committee, "concerned about corruption in English football, questioned whether the FA had delved deeply enough into Allardyce's past before appointing him," citing a TV investigation in '06 into his transfer deals as a club manager. Clarke, who for six years was chair of the Football League which governs the professional game below the Premier League, said that "no wronging had been found" (REUTERS, 10/17). The BBC reported Conservative MP Damian Collins told Clarke on Monday that it was an "institutional failure" if the FA did not "fully examine the former England manager's background." Allardyce was filmed in July telling undercover reporters it was "not a problem" to bypass rules on third-party player ownership and claimed he knew of agents who were "doing it all the time." He said that he "made a significant error of judgement," but that "entrapment had won." Clarke said that the FA is still waiting for the London Telegraph and police to "release the full information from their investigation" (BBC, 10/17).
MCCARTNEY MAKES SUGGESTION: In London, Jack de Menezes reported Colne Valley MP Jason McCartney "felt it appropriate to offer his advice on who the next England manager should be." Referencing the BBC’s interview with EPL side Bournemouth Manager Eddie Howe, which was carried out by Gary Lineker, McCartney told Clarke that he should consider Howe as a "suitable successor to Allardyce." McCartney also questioned "the level of on-field performances," as he labeled England’s showing in Allardyce’s only match in charge against Slovakia last month as "insipid, bland and uninspiring." McCartney’s comments "drew criticism on social media with some users claiming the time should have been used for more logical reasons" such as investigating the potential for widespread corruption in British football (INDEPENDENT, 10/17).
