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An undercover video sting paved England's way to the Euro 2020 final, and completely changed soccer in the country

Barnaby LaneJul 8, 2021, 23:51 IST

Sam Allardyce was replaced by Gareth Southgate as England manager in 2016.Getty/Dave Thompson; Getty/UEFA

In 2016, England boss Sam Allardyce was caught in an undercover video sting offering illicit advice to a fake businessman.
Allardyce was forced to resign as manager, and was replaced by Gareth Southgate.
At the time, Southgate was largely unsuccessful as a manager, had previously said he did not want Allardyce's job, and was not even regarded as the back-up plan for England.
Southgate was only supposed to be the interim manager ... and yet here we are!

England football's current highs can be traced back to an undercover sting on the team's last manager - Sam Allardyce.

Getty/Frank Augstein

Allardyce took the reins at England's lowest ebb, and accidentally set the wheels in motion for the country's renewed success.

Getty/Laurence Griffiths

That turned out to be Allardyce's only game as boss.

The Telegraph

Southgate was then named as Allardyce's successor, albeit only temporarily.

Getty/Philipp Schmidli

As Southgate took over, a golden generation of talent was beginning to emerge.

Getty/TF Images

In his first major tournament, Southgate guided England to the last four.

Getty/Matthias Hangst

That mix of experience of youth has been the key to England's success at Euro 2020.

Getty/Laurence Griffiths

None of this would have happened with Sam Allardyce as manager.

GettyChristopher Lee

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