WE’VE LOST IT!
Extraordinary mea culpa from beleaguered FA
FA CHAIRMAN Greg Clarke admitted yesterday that the ruling body had ‘lost the trust of the public’ over their handling of the Mark Sampson affair.
Clarke has promised a full cultural review of all the FA’s operations as well as immediate changes to get their ‘house in order’. Technical director Dan Ashworth, overlord at St George’s Park, remains the senior official most under pressure.
FA CHAIRMAN Greg Clarke has admitted the under- f i r e governing body has ‘lost the trust of the public’ on a day when there were yet more calls for the resignation of technical director Dan Ashworth.
Clarke delivered an astonishing 2,600 word speech to the FA council yesterday, releasing it to the media before the meeting at Wembley in what was seen as a clear attempt to get his defence in first after that disastrous appearance before a parliamentary select committee last week.
But the tone of contrition he and chief executive Martin Glenn should have displayed to MPs over their handling of the Eni Aluko affair did little to ease the pressure on an organisation Clarke admitted had been severely shaken by recent events.
‘A storm has blown through us and we have struggled to cope,’ Clarke admitted before conceding that the parliamentary hearing had ‘stripped us of our veneer and exposed some deeper fundamental truths’.
Clarke also said there would be a ‘full cultural review, top to bottom’ of St George’s Park following concerns raised by former FA board member Dame Heather Rabbatts.
She questioned the lack of diversity at the national football centre and blamed Ashworth for that, adding that his position had been made untenable by his original handling of Aluko’s bullying and racism allegations against then England women’s coach Mark Sampson.
That view was echoed yesterday in a blistering statement from Baron Ouseley, chairman of Kick It Out, that also heaped more pressure on Clarke.
But Ashworth and the FA’s human resources director Rachel Brace, who conducted the original internal investigation into Aluko’s claims, bore the brunt of Ouseley’s criticism. ‘It is inconceivable that the people who botched the first investigation are still in their posts,’ said Ouseley.
Clarke and Glenn again received the full backing of the FA board via independent director Roger Devlin, who teed up Clarke’s mea
culpa. This ploy meant the council mood after Clarke’s speech was of working together to bring about change rather than sniping at the chairman.
But the great irony is that Ashworth is hanging on to his St George’s Park power base by his fingertips just when the England junior sides under his command are delivering unprecedented success, including England playing Spain in the final of the Under 17 World Cup tomorrow.
Chairman Clarke also made a personal apology to Professional Footballers’ Association chief executive Gordon Taylor, who had been highly critical of Clarke’s attack on his PFA leadership at the parliamentary hearing.
Taylor, in a measured contribution to the debate from the council floor, nevertheless laid into Clarke for his ‘ cheap shots’ that were blatant ‘diversionary tactics’, asking him why he had not just picked up the phone to talk to him.
A chastened Clarke sought out Taylor at the end of the council meeting, apologising profusely and admitting: ‘I lost it.’
Having already questioned some of the evidence Clarke gave to MPs last week, Ouseley continued on the theme with wider criticism.
‘The FA must reflect on the dilemma it now faces as a result of last week’s shambolic exposure of its leadership, competence and discriminatory treatment of black and minority ethnic people,’ he said.
‘When you look at the recent success of England’s youth sides, particularly the achievements of the Under 17 men’s team, you will see a high level of diverse representation on the field. That is the only area in which English football seems to treat black and minority ethnic people fairly.
‘Across the rest of the game, black and minority ethnic people are not trusted to be in the boardroom, senior management, leadership, coaching, technical and administration positions.’
Paul Elliott, chairman of the inclusion advisory board, who also impressed councillors with his impassioned speech about the need for a diverse FA properly reflecting those who play football in all its formats. Appointing Elliott to the FA board would be a sensible step.
Clarke described the parliamentary hearing as ‘a bruising personal experience and the culmination of a very damaging episode for the organisation’.
He said he had hoped to convince MPs that, while mistakes were made, the intentions of the organisation were good and that valuable lessons had been learned. ‘We failed,’ he admitted.
Clarke did, however, repeat the apology the FA made to Aluko and her England team-mates Lianne Sanderson and Drew Spence, all of whom made complaints about Sampson. The coach was finally dismissed last month for what the FA said had been inappropriate behaviour in his previous job at Bristol Academy.
‘We have lost the trust of the public,’ admitted Clarke. ‘We had a number of black players within our senior England women’s team who did not trust us enough to share their experiences of discriminatory behaviour.
‘All they could see was a white hierarchy who had no experience of what it feels like to be a black person on the receiving end of inappropriate comments.’
The FA, as well as the root-andbranch review of St George’s Park that could well signal the end of Ashworth, will also be looking at all their procedures ahead of reporting on proposed changes to the FA council in January.
ENI ALUKO has finally received the £80,000 settlement she agreed with the FA to not discuss her allegations of bullying and racism.
The FA deny their payment to Aluko was hush money, yet withheld half the payment and attempted to force her to sign a statement saying they were not institutionally racist, which she last week told MPs was ‘bordering on blackmail’.
“The only place
diversity is represented is
on the pitch”