Women’s football coach accused of ‘racial’ remark
THE Football Association is facing growing pressure to disclose details of the investigation into former England Women striker Eni Aluko’s claim that a teammate faced a “racial and prejudicial” remark from the team’s Welsh manager, Mark Sampson.
Leading anti-racism campaign Piara Powar said “bigger questions” are being raised for the FA to answer as details of the case emerge through the media.
Cardiff-born Sampson was exonerated after an independent inquiry, commissioned by the FA and conducted by barrister Katharine Newton, found there had been “no wrong-doing”.
Striker Aluko, 30, won 102 caps and scored 33 goals for England before falling out of favour last year.
She alleged, in claims submitted to the FA last year, that 34-year-old Welshman Sampson asked a member of England’s squad, reportedly of mixed race and with a London background, whether she had been arrested before.
The player in question has not been named.
Aluko, who is a qualified lawyer, claimed the comments had “derogatory, racial and prejudicial connotations”.
Powar speaks for the Fare Network, an international body tackling discrimination and developing social inclusion initiatives.
He said in response to the allegations raised by Aluko: “The message has been repeated over and again, any type of racial or discriminatory abuse, or decision-making based on anything other than merit, should not have a place in Britain in 2017, and certainly not within a national women’s football squad.
“The FA has done the right thing in commissioning an independent investigation. However, the more revelations that emerge publicly the bigger the questions become.
“As I see it Eniola Aluko is a leader and an individual of principle. She did the correct thing in raising her concerns.
“One of the questions I have is why a player raising legitimate issues has found her England career effectively ended and her voice gagged.”
Sampson is the manager who led England to the World Cup semifinals in 2015 and to the same stage at this summer’s European Championship.
Aluko’s evidence to the independent investigation is understood to have included her claim, as reported by the Guardian: “During a meeting with the midfielders’ unit of players, of which I was not present, MS (Sampson) used an analogy about pressing hard in midfield and getting a caution like a police caution.
“MS then addressed the player individually and said in relation to being cautioned by police: ‘Haven’t you been arrested before? Four times isn’t it?”’
The FA said in a statement, released when first details of the case emerged, that the investigation’s report “did not uphold any of Eniola Aluko’s complaints and found no wrong-doing on behalf of the FA or others”.
It is understood that although the outcome favoured the FA, Aluko was paid a five-figure sum in an agreement to avoid any disruption to England’s Euro 2017 preparations. The Guardian reported she received £80,000.
Sampson missed out on the 10-person shortlist for FIFA’s Women’s Coach of 2017 award yesterday.
Chelsea manager Emma Hayes was included, along with France boss Olivier Echouafni, the coach Sampson described as “a little bit wet behind the ears” before England beat Les Bleues at Euro 2017.