Football Association chairman, Greg Clarke, To Meet Sport Select Committee

Football Association chairman Greg Clarke will face the Commons Culture, Media and Sport select committee on Monday. Clarke is expected to be asked to launch an independent inquiry into allegations of corruption in football.


In the wake of the Daily Telegraph's investigation into bribery and wrongdoing in football, Clarke will also be grilled by MPs on the level of due diligence carried out by the FA before it appointed former head coach Sam Allardyce. Allardyce's contract as England boss was terminated by mutual consent in September after he was secretly filmed as part of the Daily Telegraph's investigation.


City of London Police launched an investigation into bribery and the role of money in football following the newspaper's revelations. Detectives have already spoken to the FA and journalists involved in the undercover sting.


Acting Culture, Media and Sport committee chairman Damian Collins MP said “One of the key things we will want to know is will the FA open a proper investigation into the issues which have been raised, once the police have completed their job? I think that there should be a proper process where a senior figure, independent of football, is appointed to investigate these matters and that they should be able to produce a report which is published in full. It should not just be something that is commissioned by football for football. It should be a proper independent study. There is now the question of what sort of due diligence did the FA do before they gave Sam Allardyce the job. There have been a number of allegations made in the last decade about Allardyce. What did they do to satisfy themselves that his appointment wouldn't cause them any future embarrassment?”