Football corruption scandal: Kickbacks to fake consultants, overpaying players and bungs known as ‘a little coffee’
A FOOTBALL agent has been caught by hidden cameras revealing the murky world of football’s backhanders and kickbacks.
Italian Pino Pagliara – who was handed a five-year ban by the Italian FA for alleged match-fixing in 2005 – told undercover reporters how corrupt managers still line their pockets despite the FA’s attempts to clean up the sport.
The revelations come as Sam Allardyce quit as England manager after he was filmed advising on how to get round rules on signing players.
The investigation has lifted the lid on a huge scandal for English football.
Pagliara was filmed at a Manchester restaurant boasting of how managers in the Premier League love to take bungs.
He reportedly told ’s undercover team: “In English football, everything is under the table.”
Pagliara named one manager of a Premier League club who would ask if there was “a little coffee” for him – code for an illegal payment to see through a player’s transfer.
The agent said: “We know him very, very well.
“We do a transfer to (club’s name), (manager’s name) has winked at us and said year, I want the player. Is there a little coffee for me, Pino? Yeah, that’s what he will say.
“Yeah, of course there is. I’ll negotiate that coffee as well.”
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The hidden cameras also caught Pagliara claiming the same manager employed friends as consultants as a way to get round the rules concerning illegal payments.
He said: “We will not make any payments directly to him. There’ll be a consultancy agreement with somebody who he trusts enough to let them do that and then he gets it back, that’s how it works.”
The manager’s representatives are reported to have described the allegations as “completely false”.
In another meeting with the undercover reporters, who were posing as representatives of Far Eastern businessmen looking to invest in football, Pagliara allegedly told reporters a different manager made his own players give him kickbacks in return for pay rises.
He said: “There was three players and every month they would come into his office with £4,000 cash, each of them, so he was getting £12,000.
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“What happened was when they had done the deal he said ‘They’ve done the wages and you’re going to get ten grand a week, so I’m going to give you 12 grand a week and you’re going to give me four grand a month.
“So obviously they were getting four grand a month extra and he was getting four grand.”
The Telegraph report the manager in question described the allegation as “pure fantasy”.
Pagliara yesterday said: “I have never paid bungs to anyone. I have never paid any money to any of these managers.”
He added he had fabricated the stories to impress the undercover reporters.
Meanwhile, it was reported Cardiff launched an investigation after discovering unexplained payments in the 2014 loan move of ex-England under-21 star Ravel Morrison from Allardyce’s then club West Ham.
The player’s switch to the Welsh Championship side was examined after questions were raised over fees relating to the deal.
Mr Pagliara claimed payments had been agreed with Allardyce over the loan of Morrison, according to the Telegraph.
Eight Other Managers Caught Out
Sam Allardyce isn’t the only boss to be caught up in The Telegraph’s sting – there’s another eight set to be exposed as well.
EX-PREMIER LEAGUE BOSS 1
Unnamed boss wanted cash put in Swiss bank account, asking Italian agent Pino Pagliara: “How much, Pino? And will it be the same Swiss bank account?”
EX-PREMIER LEAGUE BOSS 2
Former manager with excellent reputation accused of taking £50,000 bungs to buy particular players
EX-PREMIER LEAGUE BOSS 3
Busted with ‘fingers in the till’ and sacked by old club, with demands for bungs to be given in plastic bags filled with cash
EX-PREMIER LEAGUE BOSS 4
Very famous name asked Pino Pagliara: “Yeah, I want the player. Is there a little coffee (code for bung) for me, Pino?”
EX-PREMIER LEAGUE BOSS 5
Former boss requested cash be put in special Swiss bank account
PREMIER LEAGUE BOSS 6
Player-turned-manager wanted ‘extra money’ after claiming he wasn’t being paid enough
EX-PREMIER LEAGUE BOSS 7
Wanted to be ‘put on payroll’ in order to buy players from certain agents
PREMIER LEAGUE BOSS 8
Told players he would give them £2,000-a-week more if he got half of deal, according to agent Dax Price
But Cardiff failed to put the allegation to Big Sam, the police or the FA, which is an apparent breach of the governing body’s rules.
External investigators, brought in by Cardiff could not find any evidence of the payment being made to Allardyce, or of any payment being made directly to Mr Pagliara, and the club wound up the inquiry.
Allardyce has previously denied ever taking bribes for player transfers.
He failed to respond to questions from the .
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