Kyril’supdateafterinvestigation into the Black Cats Bar debacle
Kyril Louis-Dreyfus has told a meeting of the Sunderland supporter collective that 'appropriate' action has been taken after an internal investigation into the Black Cats Bar debacle in January.
Fans were outraged when the bar was redecorated in Newcastle United colours and with accompanying slogans ahead of the FA Cup Third Round tie between the two teams at the start of the year, with Louis-Dreyfus taking to social media after the decision was reversed to apologise.
The club met with representatives from numerous supporter groups on March 12, and though Louis-Dreyfus was not present, he did issue an update at the beginning of the meeting. "Following the conclusion of an internal investigation requested by the Club’s Board of Directors, we identified that a serious error in judgement was made in relation to the Black Cats Bar," the minutes read.
"We now understand how this error in judgement was made and have identified where accountability sits, confirming that the action taken was inexcusable and moreimportantlypreventable. Although employment law prevents us from sharing any information, all staff involved in the matter were interviewed and following the conclusion of a detailed internal enquiry, the appropriate levels of action have now been taken to conclude this process.
"At the last meeting with supporters’ groups, we made a commitment to putting fans at the heart of all that we do. That commitment is unwavering, and as supporters you will soon start to see meaningful change. We understand where we need to improve, and this includes an ongoing requirement to continually develop our people and refine our processes.
"In the coming months, we are excited about bringing that commitment to life and embracing it throughout all levels of our club."
Club figures at the meeting promised to feed that back to Louis Dreyfus, with the minutes stating that chief operating officer Steve Davison commented that: "The Club appreciates that a series of actions for improvement will be needed over time to regain trust."
Fans at the meeting expressed disappointment with limitations of the update.