Southampton assistant manager Eric Black gave undercover reporters advice on how to bribe officials at other clubs, the Daily Telegraph has claimed.

Black, 52, was filmed apparently naming staff at other clubs who could be induced to pass on information about players to a company for money.

Such payments would be against Football Association rules.

Black, who oversaw Aston Villa’s final seven Premier League matches last season, has denied the allegations.

“It doesn’t take too much to get these people involved,” Black says in the covert recording.

“They won’t have an awful lot of money.”

Former Aberdeen striker Black quotes a figure of “a couple of grand”, which the Telegraph claims was his suggestion of a suitable payment to an unnamed assistant coach at a Championship side in return for introducing players to the undercover reporters’ fictitious agency.

Black denies suggesting that any football official should be paid, saying that his “couple of grand” comment related to a freelance scout that an agency looking to break into the football industry might approach.

Under FA rules, intermediaries “must not give, offer or seek to offer, any consideration of any kind” to a club official “in return for any benefit, service, favour or any kind of preferential treatment”.

A spokesperson for Black said his client did not recall the possibility of bribing officials being mentioned.

“This was not the purpose of the meeting so far as our client understood it. Any suggestion that he was complicit in such discussions is false,” the spokesperson added.

Southampton said they were “fully committed” to investigating the claims and intend to work closely with the Premier League and FA on them.

Black has held permanent managerial posts at Motherwell and Coventry, as well as having caretaker spells at Birmingham, Sunderland, Blackburn, Rotherham and Villa.

He played for Aberdeen and French side Metz and won three caps for Scotland before he became a coach at Celtic.

The allegations about Black are the latest from the Daily Telegraph’s investigation into corruption in football.

On Thursday, Barnsley assistant boss Tommy Wright was sacked over claims he took cash for trying to engineer certain transfers. Wright has “categorically denied” the claims.

Sam Allardyce left his post as England manager on Tuesday, making a “whole-hearted apology” in the wake of allegations in the newspaper that he offered advice on how to “get around” rules on player transfers.

The FA said it has been liaising with The Daily Telegraph and City of London Police over the allegations, adding it would meet police next week.</s>Eric Black was in charge of Aston Villa when their top-flight relegation was confirmed last season

Southampton assistant manager Eric Black gave undercover reporters advice on how to bribe officials at other clubs, the Daily Telegraph has claimed.

Black, 52, was filmed apparently naming staff at other clubs who could be induced to pass on information about players to a company for money.

Such payments would be against Football Association rules.

Black, who oversaw Aston Villa's final seven Premier League matches last season, has denied the allegations.

"It doesn't take too much to get these people involved," Black says in the covert recording.

"They won't have an awful lot of money."

Black (right) has been assistant to Southampton boss Claude Puel (left) since June. There is no suggestion that Puel is involved in the latest allegations.

Former Aberdeen striker Black quotes a figure of "a couple of grand", which the Telegraph claims was his suggestion of a suitable payment to an unnamed assistant coach at a Championship side in return for introducing players to the undercover reporters' fictitious agency.

Black denies suggesting that any football official should be paid, saying that his "couple of grand" comment related to a freelance scout that an agency looking to break into the football industry might approach.

Under FA rules, intermediaries "must not give, offer or seek to offer, any consideration of any kind" to a club official "in return for any benefit, service, favour or any kind of preferential treatment".

A spokesperson for Black said his client did not recall the possibility of bribing officials being mentioned.

"This was not the purpose of the meeting so far as our client understood it. Any suggestion that he was complicit in such discussions is false," the spokesperson added.

Southampton said they were "fully committed" to investigating the claims and intend to work closely with the Premier League and FA on them.

Black has held permanent managerial posts at Motherwell and Coventry, as well as having caretaker spells at Birmingham, Sunderland, Blackburn, Rotherham and Villa.

He played for Aberdeen and French side Metz and won three caps for Scotland before he became a coach at Celtic.

Black scored in Aberdeen's European Cup Winners' Cup triumph over Real Madrid in 1983

The allegations about Black are the latest from the Daily Telegraph's investigation into corruption in football.

On Thursday, Barnsley assistant boss Tommy Wright was sacked over claims he took cash for trying to engineer certain transfers. Wright has "categorically denied" the claims.

Sam Allardyce left his post as England manager on Tuesday, making a "whole-hearted apology" in the wake of allegations in the newspaper that he offered advice on how to "get around" rules on player transfers.

The FA said it has been liaising with The Daily Telegraph and City of London Police over the allegations, adding it would meet police next week.</s>Eric Black, the assistant manager at Southampton, has become the latest individual to be implicated in football’s on-going corruption scandal.

Black was filmed by an undercover reporter from The Daily Telegraph while appearing to offer advice on giving bribes to officials at other clubs.

The former Sunderland and Aston Villa assistant coach allegedly claimed that “a couple of grand” would be enough to persuade others within the game to disclose information about footballers to agencies.

Black named another football coach during his conversation with the reporter, who was posing as a representative of an East Asian business firm, and claimed that it would not "take too much to get these people involved" as they do not have "an awful lot of money."

Southampton revealed Black’s implication in the sting prior to the story’s publication.

“Southampton Football Club has today been made aware by The Daily Telegraph that, as part of their on-going investigation, the club's assistant first team manager Eric Black will feature as part of an article in tomorrow's paper,” the south coast club said in a statement.

“The club immediately requested to be sent, by The Daily Telegraph, the details of this article, but the newspaper declined to share any further information.

“We have today contacted The FA and The Premier League, and intend to work closely with both bodies on this matter when the facts become clear.

“Southampton Football Club is fully committed to investigating any situation that directly or indirectly relates to our club, employees or the wider community.”</s>Southampton have pledged to assist the English Football Association and Premier League after releasing a statement saying assistant manager Eric Black was to be named in the Daily Telegraph’s ongoing investigations into football.

Saints pre-empted the latest round of articles under the strapline ‘Football For Sale’ by saying they had requested details from the Telegraph – a request they said had been turned down.

The club’s statement read: “Southampton Football Club has today been made aware by The Daily Telegraph that, as part of their ongoing investigation, the club’s assistant first team manager Eric Black will feature as part of an article in tomorrow’s paper.

“The club immediately requested to be sent, by The Daily Telegraph, the details of this article, but the newspaper declined to share any further information.

“We have today contacted The FA and The Premier League, and intend to work closely with both bodies on this matter when the facts become clear.

“Southampton Football Club is fully committed to investigating any situation that directly or indirectly relates to our club, employees or the wider community.”

Black was appointed to Southampton’s coaching staff during the summer as assistant to Claude Puel.</s>Southampton assistant manager Eric Black became the latest figure in English football to be accused of corruption Thursday in a newspaper sting that forced Sam Allardyce to quit his post as England boss.

According to the Daily Telegraph, Black suggested that "a couple of grand" might persuade a colleague at another club to pass on information about players to a company that wanted to represent footballers.

Prior to Thursday's publication of the Telegraph's latest revelations, Premier League side Southampton issued a statement saying: "Southampton Football Club has today been made aware by The Daily Telegraph that, as part of their ongoing investigation, the club's assistant first team manager Eric Black will feature as part of an article in tomorrow's (Friday's) paper.

"The club immediately requested to be sent, by The Daily Telegraph, the details of this article, but the newspaper declined to share any further information.

"We have today contacted The FA and The Premier League, and intend to work closely with both bodies on this matter when the facts become clear.

"Southampton Football Club is fully committed to investigating any situation that directly or indirectly relates to our club, employees or the wider community."

Earlier on Thursday, Championship club Barnsley said they had sacked assistant manager Tommy Wright as a result of a previous Telegraph story.

Wright was suspended by the second-tier club on Wednesday after the Telegraph alleged he had accepted a £5,000 ($6,500, 5,800 euro) "bung", or illegal payment, during a series of meetings with undercover reporters posing as representatives of a fake Far East company.

But the biggest 'scalp' of all came with the Telegraph's initial revelation that saw Allardyce's reign as England manager sensationally brought to an abrupt close after just one game following an indiscreet discussion with the undercover reporters.

The 61-year-old was secretly filmed giving advice on how to circumvent transfer rules and mocking his England predecessor Roy Hodgson's speech impediment.

Allardyce, appointed England manager in July on a £3 million-a-year contract, also agreed to travel to Singapore and Hong Kong as an ambassador for their fictitious firm for £400,000.

The Telegraph has also alleged that eight current and former Premier League managers took bribes during player transfer deals.</s>The Football Association is awaiting “full and unfettered disclosure of all available material from the Daily Telegraph” as the corruption allegations engulfing football saw Southampton assistant manager Eric Black implicated.

The newspaper’s latest claims surround Black, who allegedly offered advice on how to bribe officials at other clubs. He was filmed apparently saying staff at other clubs could possibly be persuaded to give information about a player to a management company for money. He has denied the allegations.

Click here for the latest results, fixtures and stats>>>

The FA said it had yet to receive the requested material and wanted to investigate matters fully as soon as possible, after a Telegraph spokesperson said it remained the newspaper’s intention to release the information - but that the police had asked to review it first.

City of London Police later confirmed that discussions had already taken place with the FA and the Telegraph.

The FA’s statement came just hours after Barnsley coach Tommy Wright lost his job following the Telegraph’s report that he took a £5,000 payment from undercover reporters posing as representatives of fake investors from the Far East.

The 50-year-old Scot, who maintains his innocence, was suspended after the allegation came to light on Wednesday but the South Yorkshire club terminated his contract with immediate effect.

Wright becomes the second man named by the Telegraph in its undercover investigation into corruption in football to lose his job, following England’s now ex-manager Sam Allardyce.

Barnsley’s swift response to the report came within an hour of the League Managers Association saying it was frustrated with the newspaper for failing to hand over all of its evidence.

The newspaper has published several allegations over the last three days, including claims that 10 unnamed managers have taken so-called ‘bungs’ in transfer deals.

Southampton pre-empted the implicating of Black with a statement which said the club “intends to work closely with both bodies (The FA and Premier League) on this matter when the facts become clear.

“Southampton Football Club is fully committed to investigating any situation that directly or indirectly relates to our club, employees or the wider community.”

According to the Telegraph, Black - a distinguished player with Aberdeen during his career - attended a meeting arranged by Scott McGarvey, the football agent who also teed-up the Allardyce meeting. At the meeting, the Telegraph claims the pair explain to an undercover reporter they believe to be a potential investor how club officials could be persuaded to pass on information to a management company.

FA rules state that intermediaries “must not give, offer or seek to offer, any consideration of any kind” to a club official “in return for any benefit, service, favour or any kind of preferential treatment”.

A spokesman for Black told the Telegraph: “[Mr Black] does not recall Mr McGarvey making suggestions that football officials should be paid during transfer negotiations - this was not the purpose of the meeting so far as our client understood it. Any suggestion that he was complicit in such discussions is false.”

McGarvey also denies the allegations with a spokesman saying he will “vigorously defend his reputation”.

QPR manager Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Leeds owner Massimo Cellino have also been implicated in separate controversies.

Hasselbaink is alleged to have requested a fee of £55,000 to also work for a phoney Far East firm seeking to sell players to the club.

A club statement confirmed it has started an internal investigation into the matter, with chief executive Lee Hoos and director of football Les Ferdinand meeting the 44-year-old Dutchman at their Harlington training ground.

“First and foremost, the club reiterates that we take these allegations very seriously,” the statement read.

“As part of the ongoing investigation, the club will need to view an unedited version of the video footage and full transcript of the discussions that took place.”

Hasselbaink has strongly denied the claims and is understood to be deeply upset by them.

Meanwhile, Leeds dismissed the Cellino allegations as a “non-story”.

The Italian, who denies any wrongdoing, appears to suggest to members of a fictitious Asian firm that they become shareholders in the club in order to receive portions of players’ transfer fees.

“This is plainly not a suggestion as to how to circumvent the rules but rather an accurate, albeit concise, explanation of how to operate within the confines of the rules,” a club statement read.

READ MORE - Rumour Mill: Arsenal and Bayern eye Moussa Dembele | Celtic can reach last 16 | Rangers statement

Keep up to date with all our sport news on The Scotsman’s Sport page on Facebook

DOWNLOAD THE SCOTSMAN APP ON ITUNES OR GOOGLE PLAY</s>Former Wigan Athletic assistant manager Eric Black is the latest person to be featured in the Daily Telegraph’s investigations into corruption in football.

The Telegraph claim that Black, who is now at Southampton had offered advice on how to bribe officials at other clubs. He was filmed apparently saying there are staff at other clubs who possibly be persuaded to give information about a player to a management company for money. He has denied the allegations.

The Telegraph posted a video of Black, 52, meeting an undercover reporter in a hotel, the journalist purporting to be a representative of a Far East firm looking to invest in English football.

According to the report, the meeting was arranged by Scott McGarvey, the football agent who also teed-up Sam Allardyce’s now ill-fated meeting with undercover reporters which cost him his job as England manager. McGarvey also denies any wrongdoing.

The video appears to show Black and McGarvey discussing managers and coaches in the lower leagues and how they could possibly be persuaded to identify players who could be signed up on management contracts.

FA rules state that intermediaries “must not give, offer or seek to offer, any consideration of any kind” to a club official “in return for any benefit, service, favour or any kind of preferential treatment”.

A spokesman for Black told the Telegraph: “[Mr Black] does not recall Mr McGarvey making suggestions that football officials should be paid during transfer negotiations - this was not the purpose of the meeting so far as our client understood it. Any suggestion that he was complicit in such discussions is false.”

The club’s statement read: “Southampton Football Club has today been made aware by The Daily Telegraph that, as part of their ongoing investigation, the club’s assistant first team manager Eric Black will feature as part of an article in tomorrow’s paper.

“The club immediately requested to be sent, by The Daily Telegraph, the details of this article, but the newspaper declined to share any further information.

“We have today contacted the FA and The Premier League, and intend to work closely with both bodies on this matter when the facts become clear.

“Southampton Football Club is fully committed to investigating any situation that directly or indirectly relates to our club, employees or the wider community.”

Black was assistant to Steve Bruce when he was Latics boss and was then brought back for a second spell by Uwe Rosler.

A spokesman for McGarvey said there would be no immediate comment in addition to a statement released earlier this week.

Then, Graham Small, a partner at Manchester-based JMW Solicitors, representing McGarvey, said: “Mr McGarvey has admitted being eager to impress what he believed to be prospective employers and, in doing so, had perhaps embellished certain comments made during the meetings in question.”

“However, he vehemently denies making remarks which are being attributed to him. Some, including his apparently having done business with certain club managers, are simply not borne out by fact.

“Mr McGarvey had merely helped arrange meetings in good faith to further what he believed to be a legitimate business venture.

“He was so convinced by the job offer made to him that, far from profiting from these exchanges, he even incurred debts trying to support the development of the new project.

“As soon as a series of allegations were put to him, he responded immediately and in full and, furthermore, has made clear his willingness to help those leading the investigation announced by the Football Association establish the truth of what happened.

“Given that he is still involved in the football industry, he is rightly concerned about the possibility of his good name being impugned and he intends to vigorously defend his reputation.”

Earlier in the day, Black’s club chairman, Ralph Krueger, revealed his dismay at the current allegations of corruption in English football and called for tighter regulation of player transfers.

The 57-year-old Canadian told ESPN that this week’s reports had “shocked” and “upset” the Saints board.

But Krueger said the Premier League club’s recent success has been built on “honest and open” values and he now hoped that the rest of football would follow suit.

“We’ve been a club that’s been driving, wanting to get control of the evolving agent world around us and we believe we’re going to have ears now,” said Krueger, a former ice hockey player who went on to coach Switzerland and the National Hockey League’s Edmonton Oilers.

“We’re going to use this, for sure, as a club, to fight for change and to fight for more regulation.

“We are all for regulation, and we are one of the most disciplined clubs in English football in terms of the way we deal with agents and youth academy players.”

Black was appointed to Southampton’s coaching staff during the summer as assistant to Claude Puel.

A former Scotland international, he had a distinguished playing career with Aberdeen and as a coach has worked for the likes of Celtic, Birmingham, Sunderland, Blackburn, Wigan, Rotherham and Aston Villa.</s>ERIC CANTONA has thrown his beret into the ring to be England ’s next manager.

The Manchester United legend made an hilarious pitch to succeed the disgraced Sam Allardyce.

He has vowed Harry Kane will never again take a crucial free-kick that "hits the f****** moon" and promises to bring Sir Alex Ferguson to the Three Lions.

"I, Eric Cantona, future manager of England, promise never to lose against a small frozen island where the goalkeeper is a movie director and the assistant coach a dentist!

"I, Eric Cantona, future manager of England, will pray to the gods of football to end the curse of the English goalkeeper!

"I, manager of England, will ask the giant Harry Kane not to hit crucial free-kicks or corners but to go on the end of it for the header.

"Especially if you are going to hit the f****** free-kick to the moon."
• Gordon Strachan once took Southgate’s job at Boro and now could finish him off as England boss too
Undercover press reporters make allegations of corruption against Southampton F.C. assistant manager Eric Black.