August 18 – The coach of the England women’s team Mark Sampson says he is “looking to improve” his general communication style after being cleared of racial abuse.
Sampson was cleared of any wrongdoing earlier this month after one of his star players Eniola Aluko made a complaint to the English FA about “bullying and harassment”. Aluko, who has 102 caps, has not been selected since making the claims in May 2016, saying she had to quit the national team because of the alleged intimidation.
On Thursday the FA published a summary of the findings – in the form of a letter to Aluko – written by the barrister who conducted the review. Afterwards Sampson said: “The barrister’s final report said there was no case to answer and noted that my approach to all players is the same regardless of their background.
“I also appreciated that the report highlighted areas where I could improve my general communication style, and that is something I have taken on board and looked to improve.”
Aluko was reportedly paid an £80,000 fee to sign an agreement which her lawyers claimed was to prevent her talking about the case. However, the FA says that was to “avoid disruptions” to England’s preparations for the recent European Championships in the Netherlands and that Aluko is now free to talk about it, according to the Guardian.
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