ALUKO v THE FA AT WESTMINSTER...

I FEEL vindicated and relieved. Although I’m grateful to be here today, does it have to come to this? There’s been an agenda to protect Mark Sampson, and an agenda to protect the FA’s reputation. Eni Aluko responds to the conclusions of an investigation by independent barrister Katharine Newton. MARTIN GLENN said if I wrote a statement he would release the second tranche of the money. I felt that was bordering on blackmail. I categorically refused to write it. For Martin Glenn to say I should say that to get a payment I was contractually agreed to is appalling. Aluko claimed part of an FA payment was conditional on her putting out a statement saying the FA was not institutionally racist.

ON AUGUST 30 Eniola tweeted: ‘At least we now know the FA’s stance on derogatory racial remarks by an England manager. Ignore, deny, endorse. In that order.’ We took legal advice on that and the advice we received was that was a clear breach of the agreement we had both entered into. Chief executive Martin Glenn denies asking Aluko to write such a statement. I BELIEVE we have handled this with decency and openness.opennes We took Eni’s concernsconc seriously. We regretreg that the two comments,co the inappropriatei banter, was made, but the spirit in which we approached the concernsc has beenb good. GlennGle defends the FA’s handlinghand of the affair.