Sam Allardyce's tenure as England manager has ended after just 67 days following alleged remarks he made in a video recorded by undercover reporters offering advice on how to circumvent rules on transfers, the Football Association (FA) has confirmed.
England Under-21 boss Gareth Southgate will take charge of the senior team's next four matches — World Cup qualifiers against Malta, Slovenia and Scotland, along with a friendly against Spain.
The Daily Telegraph published footage allegedly from a meeting in August of Allardyce telling two men purporting to be from a Far East firm that he could offer advice on how to "get around" FA regulations concerning the transfer of players under third-party ownership.
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He was also alleged to have reached an agreement worth £400,000 (about $520,000) to represent the fictitious firm to investors and be a keynote speaker at certain events, though he made it clear that any arrangement would need FA clearance.
The 61-year-old is then said to have criticized predecessor Roy Hodgson and his assistant Gary Neville for England's Euro 2016 exit to Iceland, while he brands the FA's expensive rebuilding of Wembley Stadium as "stupid."
"Allardyce's conduct, as reported today, was inappropriate of the England manager," said an FA statement released on Tuesday. "He accepts he made a significant error of judgment and has apologized. However, due to the serious nature of his actions, the FA and Allardyce have mutually agreed to terminate his contract with immediate effect.
"This is not a decision that was taken lightly but the FA's priority is to protect the wider interests of the game and maintain the highest standards of conduct in football. The manager of the England men's senior team is a position which must demonstrate strong leadership and show respect for the integrity of the game at all times."
England won Allardyce's sole match in charge, a 1-0 World Cup qualifying victory in Slovakia thanks to an injury time goal from Adam Lallana.
In a short video clip released by the FA, chief executive Martin Glenn, who oversaw Allardyce's appointment following England's Euro 2016 elimination, said: "[It has been] a very difficult 24 hours, in the light of the media allegations we have seen we've concluded and Sam's agreed that his behavior has been inappropriate and frankly not what is expected of an England manager — discussing a range of issues from potential contravention of FA rules through to personal comments that frankly just don't work when you're the manager of England."