A FORMER assistant manager of Barnsley FC accused of taking a bribe did not tell the club’s ownership about an investment group’s interest in third-party ownership of players, a court was told yesterday.
Tommy Wright, 53, allegedly received a £5,000 bribe after an undercover journalist posing as a fictitious sports company set up a meeting with two football agents in 2016 - part of the same investigation which brought about the downfall of former England boss Sam Allardyce.
Wright said he did not tell then-owner Patrick Cryne about the firm’s intention to pursue the ownership arrangement - which contravenes FA and FIFA regulations - despite being paid £5,000 for arranging the meeting with Cryne, the two agents and the firm.
Wright, of Dark Lane, Barnsley, was the Reds’ assistant manager under then-head coach Paul Heckingbottom at the time of the investigation but was sacked due to the allegations.
He denies two counts of accepting a bribe while agents Giuseppe ‘Pino’ Pagliara, 64, and 48-year-old Dax Price are charged with two counts of offering to pay a bribe.
The trial continues.
