West Ham boss in racism row
LONDON. — West Ham have suspended head of recruitment Tony Henry amid claims he discriminated against African soccer players.
Henry is alleged to have told agents he was not interested in signing any players from Africa because they “cause mayhem”.
The Hammers have acted swiftly to remove Henry from his position pending the outcome of a full investigation into the revelations.
A West Ham spokesman said: “The Club can confirm that Director of Player Recruitment Tony Henry has been suspended pending a full and thorough investigation.
“West Ham United will not tolerate any type of discrimination and has, therefore, acted swiftly due to the serious nature of these claims.
“The West Ham United family is an inclusive one where, regardless of gender, age, ability, race, religion or sexual orientation, everybody feels welcome and included.
“The Club will make no further comment until the investigation has been concluded.”
Henry is alleged to have sent an email which said the club had decided against signing any footballers from Africa amid concerns over their attitude.
He is said to have cited the behaviour of former striker Diafra Sakho, a Senegal international, as one of the reasons behind the stance — which leaves West Ham open to allegations they break discrimination laws.
It is alleged Henry said: “We had problems with Diafra Sakho. We find that when they are not in the team they cause mayhem.
“It’s nothing against the African race at all. I mean, look, there are top African players.
“It’s just sometimes they cause a lot of problems when they are not playing, as we had with Diafra. He’s left, so great. It’s nothing personal at all.”
It is also alleged Henry sent a January 27 email in which he wrote: “We don’t want any more Africans.”
It was claimed to have been sent to a senior club official and an agent, talking about a Cameroonian player also on Crystal Palace’s radar, plus another possible target.
Henry said: “We don’t want more Africans, he’s not good enough.”
Senegal international Sakho was last month sold to Rennes after finding his first team opportunities limited at the London Stadium.