Gainsborough Trinity has publicly condemned an individual who has been contacting players across the non-league pyramid while falsely claiming to represent manager Russ Wilcox and making unauthorized transfer and wage offers.
The Northern Premier League Premier Division club, competing in the seventh tier of English football, discovered the impersonation after managers, players and officials at other clubs reached out to Wilcox directly, suspicious that the approaches were not genuine. An agent also alerted Wilcox after the imposter offered an unusually high transfer fee for a player, raising immediate red flags about the legitimacy of the contact.
Chief executive Matt Boles issued a forceful statement on the club's official website, saying he wanted to make it
"categorically clear" communication over potential deals had not been from manager Russ Wilcox or on behalf of the club.
"We strongly condemn the actions of the individual responsible. Impersonating a football manager and making false representations to players is completely unacceptable and has the potential to cause unnecessary disruption and reputational damage to players, managers and clubs."
Boles explained that the bogus approaches had been identified because those contacted recognized the inconsistency with Wilcox's established professional conduct.
"Many have done so precisely because they know Russ, know the professional standards by which he conducts himself, and immediately recognised that this is not the manner in which he would approach or attempt to recruit a player,"he said.
Why is impersonating a manager illegal?
The impersonation carries serious legal and regulatory consequences. Boles emphasized that direct approaches to players without club authorization constitute illegal tapping up under Football Association rules, which can result in sanctions against clubs.
"If we were speaking directly to a player, it's an illegal approach, it's tapping up and the club can get in trouble with the FA and the leagues,"he told BBC Lincolnshire. More significantly, the false approaches have damaged Wilcox's personal reputation after more than four decades in professional football.
What has Wilcox said about the situation?
The manager expressed bewilderment at the impersonation campaign.
"I don't want my reputation tarnished,"Wilcox said.
"I've been in the game 40-plus years and I've never had anything like this before."He told BBC Lincolnshire he cannot understand the motivation behind such behavior.
What message has the club sent to the imposter?
Boles delivered a blunt ultimatum to the person responsible.
"Enough is enough. Stop impersonating our manager, stop wasting the time of players and clubs across the non-league game and, quite frankly, get a life."By making the issue public, Boles said he hoped the individual would
"grow up and go away."He also characterized the imposter's wage offers as
"quite ridiculous,"suggesting the false claims were implausibly generous.
"I don't get what [anyone] would achieve out of it. Just pack it in."
What action has the club taken?
Gainsborough Trinity has formally notified both the Northern Premier League and the Football Association of the incidents. The story has gained wider attention, with major sports outlets picking up the report, and national news coverage highlighting the case as a current issue affecting non-league football.
Who is Russ Wilcox?
Wilcox has managed Gainsborough Trinity since 2023, following previous managerial positions at Scunthorpe United and York City. During his playing career, he represented Northampton Town, Hull City, Doncaster Rovers, Preston North End and Scunthorpe. Under his leadership, Gainsborough reached the FA Cup second round in the 2024-25 season and the first round in the previous campaign.
Key Facts
- An imposter has contacted players across multiple non-league levels while falsely claiming to be Gainsborough Trinity manager Russ Wilcox
- The false approaches included unauthorized transfer offers and wage proposals, with the imposter offering unusually high financial terms
- Gainsborough Trinity has reported the matter to the Northern Premier League and the Football Association
- Wilcox has managed the club since 2023 and has over 40 years of experience in professional football
- The impersonation constitutes illegal tapping up under FA regulations and could result in sanctions against clubs that unknowingly engage with the imposter
