SEXISM VICTIM WENT TO FA 7 TIMES... THEY DID NOTHING

FA executives were asked seven times for help by a victim of sex discrimination in football before telling her they would not pursue the

case, Sportsmail can reveal. The governing body’s chairman Greg Clarke astonished many in the game on Wednesday by saying he had never heard of the case of former Leeds United academy welfare officer Lucy Ward, who was dismissed by two club executives on the demand of former owner Massimo Cellino in 2015.

Ward wanted the FA to launch disciplinary proceedings against the two executives — Adam Pearson and Stuart Hayton — who were found by an industrial tribunal to have treated her abysmally and sacked her on trumped-up offences.

Ward’s lawyers told the FA she wanted them to act to protect other women in the game, and sent the governing body two copies of the tribunal judgment and papers. But the FA’s head of football integrity sat on the request for nine months before, Ward claims, the legal department told her they could not instigate a disciplinary charge in case they lost. Two experienced profession- als familiar with football legal cases have told Sportsmail they are astonished that a case which had already been successful at a tribunal was deemed too risky for the FA to take on as an ‘ aggravated breach’ of Rule E3, which covers sex discrimination.

‘It looks as if the whole documentation was available. There was no work to do,’ said one expert. ‘The burden of proof for the FA would be far lower than in a tribunal.’

A second expert added: would have been a doddle.’

The tribunal panel found the conduct of Cellino, Pearson and Hayton towards Ward was ‘oppressive’ and ‘high handed’ and concluded unanimously that she had been a victim of unfair dismissal and sex discrimination.

Pearson has left the game and is now owner of Hull FC rugby league club. Hayton is Ipswich Town club secretary. The FA ‘ It

‘Shambolic’ chiefs routed by MPs over Aluko affair Sportsmail yesterday

would not comment. Sports

mail’s investigation again calls into question the adequacy of a governing body which provided no indication yesterday that it was ready to meet Eni Aluko to learn lessons from her case.

Neither was there any sign of a full apology for the shambolic way her complaints against England manager Mark Sampson were handled.

There were many calls for Aluko to be recruited by the FA to help their handling of diversity. As yet, there are no signs this will happen.

Former FA chairman David Bernstein said the current crisis was ‘an accident waiting to happen’ because of the FA’s lack of diversity. ‘ The organisation is still institutionally lost in the past,’ he said.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission said the FA risks losing public confidence over its handling of the crisis.