Neil Lennon has opened up on the bung culture that surrounds English football.
Sam Allardyce was the first victim of a Daily Telegraph investigation which claims to have filmed eight recent Premier League bosses taking bungs during transfer negotiations.
With agents and other middlemen able to claim millions from transfer dealings it’s hardly surprising that managers can be ‘incentivised’ to push certain deals through.
Lennon spent more than a year at Bolton and quickly discovered what makes the world go round in the English game.
“It’s high time that it’s been exposed,” he admitted when asked about the Telegraph claims. “People are taking money out of the game and it leaves a really bitter taste.
“It’s not just managers or assistant managers, it’s people that you don’t see in the public eye
“These people are doing deals that they shouldn’t be doing and walking away with thousands; millions of pounds at times.
“I feel a bit of sympathy for Sam, but it’s time this was stopped. If you break the rules, it will eventually catch up with you.
“You hear whispers from players and managers and agents. There have been rumours for a long, long time about other people. High-profile people.
“It’s these unlicensed agents that are making money through third-party ownership, doing deals with cash involved and giving the game a bad name.
“You have to look at the owners or chief executives who are speaking to these people and have been doing it for a long time.”
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