The 61-year-old, who told reporters outside his home in northern England that he was going abroad “to chill out and reflect”, refused to rule out an eventual return to soccer.
“Who knows? We’ll wait and see,” he said.
Blasted by the media for hubris and greed, Allardyce was shown the door by England on Tuesday for seeking a lucrative sideline role while talking to undercover reporters from Britain’s Daily Telegraph.
The paper said it had hundreds of pages of transcripts from the meeting in which ‘Big Sam’ had discussed a deal worth £400,000 to represent a Far East firm seeking advice on the transfer market.
Allardyce, an old-school manager famed for helping unfashionable clubs avoid relegation, said it had been a “silly thing” to do but he had been trying to do a favour for someone he had known for 30 years.
“Unfortunately it was an error in judgement on my behalf. I have paid the consequences,” he said.
“Entrapment has won on this occasion and I have to accept that. I’ve apologised to (the Football Association) and all concerned.”
Allardyce, who replaced Roy Hodgson after England’s dismal Euro 2016 campaign, said it had been a great honour to be appointed in July.
The former centre half recognised in an earlier statement that he had made comments which had caused embarrassment to the FA and others.
