PR Week: Can Sam Allardyce's reputation bounce back?

England manager Sam Allardyce's reputation lay in tatters this morning following a sting in the Telegraph in which he allegedly advised undercover reporters how to "get around" strict FA rules on player transfers and offered his services as a keynote speaker for £400,000.

A 10-month investigation into bribery and corruption in British football led to reporters arranging a meeting with Allardyce in last month, less than a month after he was hired to the £3-million a year job of England manager.

At secretly filmed meetings with Allardyce in Hong Kong and Singapore, reporters posed as businessmen purporting to represent a company hoping to profit from the Premier League’s billion-pound transfer market.

During these meetings, it is alleged that Allardyce told reporters how to circumvent FA rules banning third parties from owning footballers.

Commenting on whether Allardyce could do anything to restore his reputation following the sting, PR professionals with expertise in both sport and reputation gave their verdicts. 

For David Alexander, founder of specialist sports PR agency Calacus, there is no way back for the England boss. He said: "The revelations in the Telegraph are as damning as they are embarrassing and it's hard to see what Allardyce can do to salvage the situation."

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