Sampson: I need to improve

Mark Sampson, manager of the England women’s team, has broken his silence on the row engulfing his reign, claiming he needs to improve his “general communication style” following allegations by former striker Eniola Aluko that he used racially charged language.

The England team have been plunged into controversy since it emerged Aluko was paid up to £80,000 to drop a complaint about Sampson using what she said was a remark with “derogatory, racial and prejudicial connotations”.

The alleged incident concerned Sampson addressing a mixed race player and implying she had been arrested by police more than once. The Football Association set up an independent inquiry led by the barrister Katherine Newton.

In an FA statement, Sampson said: “The barrister’s final report said there was no case to answer and noted that my approach to all players is the same regardless of their background. I also appreciated that the report highlighted areas where I could improve my general communication style, and that is something I have taken on board and looked to improve.

“Over the last three years, the team have reached both World Cup and European Championship semifinals and climbed from 13th to fourth in the Fifa world rankings. My focus is fully on continuing to support the team and the start of our World Cup campaign.”