Defiant FA stands by Sampson in race row
Football chiefs back England women’s manager over Aluko’s accusation
A defiant Football Association will continue to give its full backing to England women’s manager, Mark Sampson, despite fresh allegations that he made a racist remark towards striker Eni Aluko.
The game’s governing body will also reject calls, led by the Professional Footballers’ Association, for a fresh investigation into Aluko’s allegations that she was a victim of bullying during her time in the England squad, led by Sampson.
The FA is adamant that Sampson’s job is not under threat and he will continue to lead the team ahead of the start of their World Cup qualifying campaign next month.
It is thought Sampson will directly address the accusations when he names his squad to take on Russia in their opening qualifier, but he has been assured he will continue to be defended by the FA, which believes the matter is now closed after two investigations cleared him of any wrongdoing.
The FA’S loyalty, led by technical director Dan Ashworth, to the 34-year-old appears to be unwavering, even though Aluko has followed up her first complaint with a new claim that Sampson made a racist comment about her family. Despite failing to report the incident when complaining to the FA about her treatment, Aluko said in an interview this week that when she told Sampson she had family from Nigeria coming to watch a game at Wembley in 2014, he replied: “Make sure they don’t bring Ebola with them.”
The Chelsea striker said she did not mention it during the initial investigation as she did not believe she would be able to prove it. It is understood there were no witnesses to the conversation and Sampson has subsequently denied making a racist comment.
Significantly, despite the controversy and the seriousness of the allegations made against him, The Daily Telegraph has learnt that the former manager of Bristol Academy has also retained the support of the England players who reached the semi-finals of the European Championships, without Aluko, in July.
That has not stopped calls for a new investigation. PFA chairman Gordon Taylor believes there should be a new inquiry after he supported Aluko in her complaint, which helped secure an £80,000 payout for the striker. Taylor said: “We share Eni’s concerns regarding what has occurred and would support an open, transparent and independent investigation into her experiences and any other incidents which any of her team-mates may wish to raise.
“We feel that this is very important to ensure that these serious issues are properly dealt with and to also ensure that an appropriate process is put in place to give any other players the confidence to raise any similar issues. Finally, we continue to provide support for Eni and will do so for any other member who requires our assistance.”
Taylor told The Telegraph any new inquiry should be led by a QC or barrister jointly appointed by both the FA and PFA. That is a view endorsed by former FA director of corporate affairs, Simon Johnson, now chief executive of the Jewish Leadership Council. Johnson’s remit at the FA included anti-discrimination matters.
“It’s clearly an unsatisfactory situation where you have the alleged victim dissatisfied with the process and the governing body perfectly satisfied with the process,” Johnson said. “They seem to have been operating at cross-purposes and the only way, probably, to do this for the confidence of the game is for there to be something new.”
Rosena Allin-khan, shadow sports minister, added: “The claims made by Eniola Aluko are deeply worrying. This is why I believe a new investigation is necessary.
“At a time when the FA need to be doing all they can to attract young women and people from minority backgrounds into football, they need to be open and transparent. Young girls look up to players like Eniola as role models; their aspirations will quickly diminish if they lose trust in the people at the top of the sport.”
English football’s anti-discrimination watchdog, Kick It Out, stopped short of calling for a new inquiry but demanded an “independent review of the processes involved in the original complaint made by Aluko”.
The FA, though, is convinced the fact Sampson has been cleared by two investigations, including one by an independent barrister, is enough and is determined to resist calls for a third. Neither probe, though, looked at Aluko’s unsubstantiated Ebola claims.
Nor was another, mixed-race, player interviewed over allegations Sampson asked her how many times she had been arrested, with the England manager cleared of making the latter comment using video footage of a meeting at which Aluko said the incident took place.
The FA has said that Aluko had submitted no written evidence from the unnamed player, whom the striker claimed on Monday had put the claim “in writing”. However, they have expressed a willingness to speak to the PFA and Kick it Out to discuss where processes might be improved.
‘Her claims are deeply worrying and that’s why a new investigation is necessary’