FA chief defends Pogba deal but calls for transfer debate

LONDON: English football’s top administrator has defended the world record transfer of Paul Pogba to Manchester United that is now the subject of an investigation by FIFA, the global game’s governing body.

The France midfielder’s  £89.3 million transfer from Juventus to the English giants in August 2016 has come under particular scrutiny amid reports the player’s agent will earn some £41 million from the deal.

But Greg Clarke, the chairman of England’s Football Association, warned against “demonising” the Pogba deal.“If that’s what they (Manchester United) are going to pay, that’s what they’re going to pay,” Clarke told the BBC on Thursday. “They are accountable to their owners; they’re accountable to their fans.

“How much should we pay for players? How much should go to agents as a commercial transaction?“If football wants to change that and limit the amount of money that agents get we’re going to have to sit down as a game, led by the professional game, the Premier League and the EFL and the clubs and talk about that.”