LONDON (AP):

ENGLISH SOCCER officials opened an inquiry yesterday into allegations in a BBC TV investigation that Bolton manager Sam Allardyce and others benefited from illegal payments from soccer agents.

The Football Association (FA) and the Premier League said they would ask the BBC to provide details from Tuesday night's Panorama programme, entitled 'Undercover: Football's Dirty Secrets'.

"These are serious allegations which have been made by Panorama and we are determined to investigate them fully," FA chief executive, Brian Barwick, said. "It is vital for the integrity of the game and for every football supporter that we do this.

"We will work in close cooperation with the Premier League. As with any investigation, we will ensure that our inquiries are exhaustive and thorough. If we find evidence of corruption we will act on it. We recognise our responsibility."

Bribes

Three soccer agents secretly filmed by the BBC, said Allardyce took bribes from agents to complete lucrative transfer deals.

Allardyce, who was a top candidate to become manager of England's national team, denied all the allegations and said he was taking legal action against the British broadcaster.

"The matter is in the lawyer's hands and will be resolved by due process," he said. "I have instructed my lawyers to take the appropriate action. "I am very angry at the lies told about me."

The most compelling evidence in the programme was a statement by Craig Allardyce, an agent and the son of Sam Allardyce, acknowledging that his father knew of secret payments in Bolton transfer deals.

Asked if his father knew of the payments, Craig Allardyce replied: "Of course he knew. Of course he knew."

Bolton said yesterday it was looking into the BBC charges.

The FA and the Premier League also said they were investigating transactions mentioned by the BBC at Liverpool and Newcastle. They have also promised to look into Bolton's signings of Japan midfielder Hidetoshi Nakata, Israel's Tal Ben Haim and Ali Al-Habsi of Oman.