September 18 – English women’s coach Mark Sampson faces possible further questioning regarding claims that he used racist language to players.
Sampson was cleared of any wrongdoing after being accused of “bullying and discrimination” by former international forward Eniola Aluko who revealed that when she told Sampson she had family from Nigeria coming to watch a game, he replied: “Make sure they don’t bring Ebola with them.”
Reports suggest there were no witnesses to the conversation and Sampson has strenuously denied making any kind of racist comment.
England’s women play their first international since losing to Holland in the semi-finals of the European Championships – a World Cup qualifier against Russia – on Tuesday night but the build-up has inevitably been overshadowed by allegations surrounding Sampson.
Reports now suggest the English FA have been shown text messages relating to claims Sampson asked another player, Drew Spence, how many times she had been arrested, a comment that was perceived to be racist because she is of mixed race.
The FA has reportedly asked the barrister who looked into Aluko’s complaints to examine the fresh evidence. But the Professional Footballers’ Association wants a new lawyer to lead any fresh inquiry.
PFA chief Gordon Taylor told the BBC: “If new evidence appears then it’s fair to everyone concerned if it’s looked at with a fresh pair of eyes. It’s incumbent to look at this with an experienced lawyer in discrimination, agreed by both sides. It needs an objective view. There needs to be confidence in the system that when someone raises a grievance, there is a clear and objective process, otherwise no-one will say anything in the future for fear of jeopardising their career.”
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