Glenn accused of ‘failing in duty of care’ over Reddin
FA chief under pressure after bullying allegations Earlier concerns about England guru revealed
Dave Reddin continued to preside over a “culture of fear and bullying” at the Football Association after undergoing training to change his leadership style, it was claimed last night.
After The Daily Telegraph yesterday revealed details of serious allegations made against the FA’S performance guru by an anonymous whistleblower last October, it has emerged that concerns about his behaviour had been raised more than a year beforehand.
Reddin is said to have been enrolled on a personal development programme as a result but two of his alleged victims told The Telegraph yesterday the bullying or intimidation they endured occurred months later.
It can also be revealed that one of the two colleagues Reddin was allowed to lay off within weeks of the FA receiving a written complaint about him was last night considering legal action for unfair dismissal.
“It’s something that still troubles me mentally,” the individual added of his departure, which came after he was named in the letter as having “expressed concerns” about his boss. He also accused Martin Glenn, the FA chief executive, to whom the complaint was addressed, of having “fundamentally failed” in his duty of care by not ensuring the allegations in it were fully investigated before Reddin was cleared of bullying.
“That is absolutely disgusting,” he added, citing promises made by the FA in the wake of the Mark Sampson scandal in order to avoid a repeat. The governing body did not deny yesterday that it had not spoken about the claims in the letter with the two alleged victims Reddin was allowed to lay off.
Its position is understood to be that the duo had ample opportunity during the redundancy process – which it is adamant was properly carried out – to raise any grievance and that neither did so.
That is not in dispute but one told The Telegraph it was “an absolute cop out” to blame them for not speaking out without being invited to do so when they were “worried about our existence at the FA because of Dave Reddin”.
Glenn was last night facing a grilling over the governing body’s handling of the written complaint about Reddin by both the Government and his own ruling council.
Tracey Crouch, the sports minister, was planning to quiz Glenn about the allegations made in The Telegraph’s story, amid calls by MPS for an independent inquiry.
Today there is also a crucial meeting of the FA Council to decide whether Wembley Stadium should be sold, and one long-standing member told this newspaper he and “many” of his colleagues would want assurances from Glenn that the Reddin allegations had not been “covered up” post-sampson.
“After what happened last year, it would be a prime part of his duty to ensure everything was properly and thoroughly investigated,” the council member added. “If that didn’t happen, there would have to be questions about his position.”
Glenn and Rachel Brace, human resources director to whom the complaint about Reddin was also addressed, could also be called back in front of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee to explain their actions.
One of its members, former shadow sports minister Clive Efford, said: “We’ve got to have them back and ask them questions about this, because it seems to me there is something rotten at the heart of the FA that’s got to be rooted out.”
He added of the positions of Glenn and FA chairman Greg Clarke, who ordered a “full cultural review” of the organisation following the Sampson scandal: “If their claims that they properly investigated those allegations are proven to be incorrect, I don’t see how they can stay in their positions. Because they have misled everybody.”
Several of Efford’s colleagues also called for the FA to provide full details of its handling of the affair.
Committee chairman Damian Collins had already demanded an “independent” inquiry into the Reddin affair but the FA had no plans to launch one last night.
It declined requests for further comment yesterday, having already confirmed it had received an anonymous letter raising “certain concerns” about Reddin which it said it had taken “very seriously” and was “entirely satisfied” it had been “appropriately investigated”.
It also declined requests for documentary evidence for that investigation, while Reddin did not respond to requests for comment.