Republic of Ireland assistant manager Roy Keane has claimed that football does not deserve to be "tarnished" following allegations of corruption.

An investigation by The Telegraph has resulted in a number of high-profile figures in English football coming under the spotlight.

None more so than Sam Allardyce, who was forced out of his job as England manager after being filmed by undercover reporters allegedly explaining how to "get around" the Football Association's ban on third-party ownership of players.

"It's part of the game," Keane told reporters. "We have said it before, there will be greed involved when there is so much money involved, but having said that, it's still a great game. There are some brilliant people involved in football and it shouldn't be tarnished as badly as it has been in the last week or so.

"A lot of this is still accusations, allegations against people. But football is a great game and there are great people involved in it. There are a lot of great managers out there, great players who do great things for the game.

"Why do you think so many people watch the game? They love it. Every now and again, there will be a hiccup along the way, but let's not get distracted by it."

Queens Park Rangers boss Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Leeds United owner Massimo Cellino and Southampton assistant manager Eric Black are among the football figures implicated in the newspaper's investigation.