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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 from Italian club 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.

There has long been concern about how football agents, rather than just being paid by their client as is standard practice in other industries, can also earn money from clubs when conducting transfer deals amid suggestions that this can lead to a conflict of interest.

But Greg Clarke, the chairman of England’s Football Association, warned against “demonising” the Pogba deal and said the worldwide game needed to do more than have a “knee-jerk reaction” if the rules governing transfers were to be reformed.

“If that’s what they (Manchester United) are going to pay, that’s what they’re going to pay,” Clarke told the BBC yesterday.

“They are accountable to their owners; they’re accountable to their fans. — AFP.