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Eni Aluko accuses FA of actions 'bordering on blackmail' – latest
Eni Aluko accuses FA of actions 'bordering on blackmail' as Glenn and co grilled – latest
(35 minutes later)
4.19pm BST
16:19
Rachel Brace is defending the FA against suggestions that it did not speak to Drew Spence. She says that Spence said she did not want to be involved in the investigation.
4.15pm BST
16:15
Rachel Brace: “We had a second meeting with Eniola and the PFA and we admitted that we hadn’t seen the video. We admitted that was an oversight.”
4.14pm BST
16:14
Is it right that Aluko’s specific complaints were not answered by the FA? “We did not ask her to do that,” Rachel Brace says.
FA executives now in front of hearing. Martin Glenn's written evidence says FA "followed what we believe to be a robust and fair process."
Updated
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4.13pm BST
16:13
Martin Glenn says Eni Aluko received “a fulsome response” to her grievances. The committee is taking issue with the level of the response Aluko received. “I wont admit she didn’t get a response,” Glenn says.
Updated
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4.12pm BST
16:12
Martin Glenn is asked whether it was right that Dan Ashworth was a witness in the FA’s own inquiry. “I have a different opinion. We took the concerns and the complaints seriously. We followed them in the way that was typical of most organisations, an internal review, and then when that fell short for the complainant, we looked outside.”
4.11pm BST
16:11
Martin Glenn is told that Katherine Newton was critical of the FA’s own inquiry. He defends the FA’s approach and tries to bring in Rachel Brace at this point. The focus, however, stays on him.
4.10pm BST
16:10
Martin Glenn: “I believe the subjects were dealt with honestly and diligently.”
4.10pm BST
16:10
Martin Glenn is asked if he should apologise for the FA’s handling of the affair. “I want to reiterate the apology to Eniola Aluko and Drew Spence. It’s not right an FA employee should behave that way. We have a grievance procedure, but it’s clearly fallen short in respect to the pressures elite players have.”
Glenn says he believes the FA have acted with “decency and openness”. He says opening an independent inquiry shows the FA took grievances seriously. He references “inappropriate banter.”
4.06pm BST
16:06
Lianne Sanderson has finished giving evidence. The FA suits, Greg Clarke, Martin Glenn, Dan Ashworth and Rachel Brace, have arrived.
Updated
at 4.07pm BST
4.04pm BST
16:04
Lianne Sanderson’s evidence is starting to wind down. Next up will be Martin Glenn, the FA’s chief executive. Eni Aluko earlier said that Glenn intimated to her that if she released a statement saying that the FA is not institutionally racist then she would receive the rest of her settlement money. She refused. “I felt that was bordering on blackmail,” she said.
4.01pm BST
16:01
Also from Aluko evidence - how, she says, her former team-mates were encouraged behind the scenes to think she was a bad influence (1/3)
(2/3) This included, she says, black actress being hired – portraying her, she believes – for role-play about a selfish, misbehaved player.
(3/3) players were “uncomfortable with this demonstration because they believed actress was perpetrating negative, unfair perception of me”
Updated
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3.58pm BST
15:58
Lianne Sanderson: “I wasn’t asked to be part of the culture review.” She says that when Rachel Brace contacted her about the inquiry she was perplexed not to be told in advance what it was about.
3.53pm BST
15:53
Lianne Sanderson: “I would have expected a phone call as opposed to finding out on Twitter that I hadn’t been selected for the squad. There was preferential treatment to certain players.”
Updated
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3.52pm BST
15:52
Lianne Sanderson says more publicity for the team means there must be more professionalism off the field.
3.51pm BST
15:51
Lianne Sanderson is asked about changes to grievance procedures at the FA. “It has to happen naturally. We don’t want things to happen just to tick a box. It doesn’t mean you lose your England career just because you’re sitting here today.”
3.50pm BST
15:50
Lianne Sanderson says that Mark Sampson’s sacking doesn’t solve everything. She says there are deeper issues.
3.49pm BST
15:49
Is the treatment of Aluko and Sanderson an encouragement for women to enter sport? “We want change,” Sanderson says.
3.48pm BST
15:48
Lianne Sanderson also critical of FA investigation: "The first report wasn't the truth because they didn't interview anyone who was there."
3.47pm BST
15:47
Having been dropped by Hope Powell after a fall-out with the former England manager, Lianne Sanderson says she returned to the England set-up in 2015 because of Mark Sampson. She says past experiences with England had left her vulnerable and she felt Sampson knew that.
3.42pm BST
3.42pm BST
15:42
15:42
Lianne Sanderson: “The way they treated Eni in the first place was different to other people on the team.”
Lianne Sanderson: “The way they treated Eni in the first place was different to other people on the team.”
3.41pm BST
3.41pm BST
15:41
15:41
Lianne Sanderson: “As Eni’s friend, I’ve seen it’s been a torrid time for her.”
Lianne Sanderson: “As Eni’s friend, I’ve seen it’s been a torrid time for her.”
3.39pm BST
3.39pm BST
15:39
15:39
Lianne Sanderson: “From that moment, I felt I was forced out. When I reached out to the team psychologist to ask why I wasn’t involved in team activities, he said he’d been told I wasn’t available.” She adds that she once found out on Twitter that she hadn’t been included in a squad last year.
Lianne Sanderson: “From that moment, I felt I was forced out. When I reached out to the team psychologist to ask why I wasn’t involved in team activities, he said he’d been told I wasn’t available.” She adds that she once found out on Twitter that she hadn’t been included in a squad last year.
3.38pm BST
3.38pm BST
15:38
15:38
Lianne Sanderson feels that she has been ostracised ever since her 50th cap was forgotten about in England. She says she has received no contact from the FA while she has been injured, for instance.
Lianne Sanderson feels that she has been ostracised ever since her 50th cap was forgotten about in England. She says she has received no contact from the FA while she has been injured, for instance.
3.37pm BST
3.37pm BST
15:37
15:37
Lianne Sanderson mentions an occasion when Mark Sampson told her she wasn’t included in a squad as only four strikers were being named for a game England expected to win. When the squad was named, there were eight strikers.
Lianne Sanderson mentions an occasion when Mark Sampson told her she wasn’t included in a squad as only four strikers were being named for a game England expected to win. When the squad was named, there were eight strikers.
3.36pm BST
3.36pm BST
15:36
15:36
Lianne Sanderson says she raised the issue with Mark Sampson. He asked if she was sure it was her 50th cap, which she found insulting given her love of playing for England.
Lianne Sanderson says she raised the issue with Mark Sampson. He asked if she was sure it was her 50th cap, which she found insulting given her love of playing for England.
3.36pm BST
3.36pm BST
15:36
15:36
Lianne Sanderson: “To this day, I haven’t been told I’m not good enough for England.” She says things started to change after her first year under Sampson. She pinpoints the moment when nothing was made of her 50th cap in China. Instead nothing happened, which she says is out of the ordinary. “This had never happened before. No other player had ever been forgotten about before.” She says other players were made a fuss of after their 99th cap and wondered why she had been left out.
Lianne Sanderson: “To this day, I haven’t been told I’m not good enough for England.” She says things started to change after her first year under Sampson. She pinpoints the moment when nothing was made of her 50th cap in China. Instead nothing happened, which she says is out of the ordinary. “This had never happened before. No other player had ever been forgotten about before.” She says other players were made a fuss of after their 99th cap and wondered why she had been left out.
Updated
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at 3.38pm BST
3.33pm BST
3.33pm BST
15:33
15:33
Did the culture change under Mark Sampson. “I had a great time in the first year under Mark Sampson.” But she adds that she noticed problems with Aluko. In reference to the video analysis, in which derogatory comments were made about Aluko and heard by the entire squad, she says that this is usually mute.
Did the culture change under Mark Sampson. “I had a great time in the first year under Mark Sampson.” But she adds that she noticed problems with Aluko. In reference to the video analysis, in which derogatory comments were made about Aluko and heard by the entire squad, she says that this is usually mute.
3.32pm BST
3.32pm BST
15:32
15:32
Have other players been speaking about this case. Sanderson: “I think so, but it’s more older players from 15 years ago who have raised a few things. I have always maintained that as long as Mark Sampson was in place no one was going to speak out. The consequences are quite harsh. I don’t blame the girls. It’s not easy being here. It’s not easy being called a liar. I was always going to stand by Eni. She was telling the truth.”
Have other players been speaking about this case. Sanderson: “I think so, but it’s more older players from 15 years ago who have raised a few things. I have always maintained that as long as Mark Sampson was in place no one was going to speak out. The consequences are quite harsh. I don’t blame the girls. It’s not easy being here. It’s not easy being called a liar. I was always going to stand by Eni. She was telling the truth.”
3.31pm BST
3.31pm BST
15:31
15:31
Sanderson is asked if she agrees with Aluko’s comments on the FA’s grievance procedures. “There definitely needs to be something in place so this doesn’t happen to other players in the future.”
Sanderson is asked if she agrees with Aluko’s comments on the FA’s grievance procedures. “There definitely needs to be something in place so this doesn’t happen to other players in the future.”
3.30pm BST
3.30pm BST
15:30
15:30
Eni Aluko has made way for Lianne Sanderson. We are expecting to hear from Martin Glenn at 4pm.
Eni Aluko has made way for Lianne Sanderson. We are expecting to hear from Martin Glenn at 4pm.
3.29pm BST
3.29pm BST
15:29
15:29
Eni Aluko's evidence finishes
Eni Aluko's evidence finishes
Eni Aluko closes by saying: “One of the core purposes of me coming to speak today was so to enact change in grievance procedures. I’ve given my experiences, but that was well documented, so I would hope there are changes in that area. If players have any issues, I would encourage them to speak to the PFA.”
Eni Aluko closes by saying: “One of the core purposes of me coming to speak today was so to enact change in grievance procedures. I’ve given my experiences, but that was well documented, so I would hope there are changes in that area. If players have any issues, I would encourage them to speak to the PFA.”
3.28pm BST
3.28pm BST
15:28
15:28
Some banter: Aluko is asked if she has any Scottish roots. There is laughter.
Some banter: Aluko is asked if she has any Scottish roots. There is laughter.
3.28pm BST
3.28pm BST
15:28
15:28
Eni Aluko continues: “I won the Golden Boot in September 2016, but by this time we were six months into this case. The timing of why I wasn’t picked at this time, even winning the Golden Boot wasn’t enough.”
Eni Aluko continues: “I won the Golden Boot in September 2016, but by this time we were six months into this case. The timing of why I wasn’t picked at this time, even winning the Golden Boot wasn’t enough.”
3.27pm BST
3.27pm BST
15:27
15:27
Eni Aluko asks why any player would ever come forward with issues again after seeing what’s happened to her. She’s asked if it’s normal for the Golden Boot winner not to be in the England squad. “I don’t think so. Hypothetically would Harry Kane not be picked if he won the Golden Boot? I don’t think so.”
Eni Aluko asks why any player would ever come forward with issues again after seeing what’s happened to her. She’s asked if it’s normal for the Golden Boot winner not to be in the England squad. “I don’t think so. Hypothetically would Harry Kane not be picked if he won the Golden Boot? I don’t think so.”
3.26pm BST
3.26pm BST
15:26
15:26
Aluko says that her issue isn’t necessarily not being picked, but how she was treated while she was in the team. But she believes she wouldn’t be picked by Mark Sampson since May 2016.
Aluko says that her issue isn’t necessarily not being picked, but how she was treated while she was in the team. But she believes she wouldn’t be picked by Mark Sampson since May 2016.
Updated
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at 3.26pm BST
3.24pm BST
3.24pm BST
15:24
15:24
Eni Aluko: “I have been available for selection since May 2016, but I haven’t been selected.”
Eni Aluko: “I have been available for selection since May 2016, but I haven’t been selected.”
3.24pm BST
3.24pm BST
15:24
15:24
Will Aluko take legal action to get the rest of her settlement money? “I haven’t thought about.”
Will Aluko take legal action to get the rest of her settlement money? “I haven’t thought about.”
3.23pm BST
3.23pm BST
15:23
15:23
EA evidence refers to “shambles” inquiry and points finger at Dan Ashworth, FA technical director, for “protecting his recruit” (Sampson)
EA evidence refers to “shambles” inquiry and points finger at Dan Ashworth, FA technical director, for “protecting his recruit” (Sampson)
3.23pm BST
15:23
Eni Aluko says that the second part of her settlement money was supposed to be paid on 31 August.
3.23pm BST
15:23
Are there any attempts to mend fences? “Quite the contrary,” Aluko says. “I feel the FA’s sole agenda has been to protect its own reputation while making insinuations that I am lying, whilst leaking reports to media journalists about things I hadn’t had the opportunity to see. So no, there has been no attempt to build bridges or to show me a duty of care as a centrally contracted player. That has compounded the sense of isolation I felt.”
She says the FA has been very defensive. She says that she is worried about what would happen if another player made a complaint tomorrow. What would be the process, Aluko wonders? She wonders why it has come to this - while she is grateful to be given an opportunity to speak, how is it reached the stage where she is doing so at a parliamentary inquiry?
3.20pm BST
15:20
Has the FA contacted Aluko about changes they might be making? “No.”
3.19pm BST
15:19
Eni Aluko: “To this day I don’t know if my evidence was compromised. Dan Ashworth has said my participation in the cultural review and me being dropped were not linked. But I think Mark Sampson was aware. He may have felt I was going to say something. It’s that nudge and wink culture - get rid of her before she says something.” She reiterates that attempts to set up meetings with Ashworth about her misgivings never came to fruition.
3.13pm BST
15:13
Eni Aluko says that Lee Kendall might have been trying to speak to her in a fake Caribbean accent in an effort to endear himself to her. But she after a while it began to grate. “I’m not Caribbean, I’m of African descent. It’s not necessarily offensive, but I found it ignorant.”
3.12pm BST
15:12
Eni Aluko thinks that there were pre-conceived ideas of her being lazy. She says that Mark Sampson tried to defend England women’s goalkeeping coach Lee Kendall, who was making derogatory comments about her performance and who she says also spoke to her in a fake Caribbean accent. “It didn’t give me comfort. It’s almost like a staffroom comment.”
Updated
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3.11pm BST
15:11
Eni Aluko says that negative comments about her performance in a particular England game were only made about her. She is clearly troubled by this.
3.08pm BST
15:08
Eni Aluko: “Nobody ever said to me ‘how much money can we pay you to keep quiet’?” She says the settlement was based on loss of future earnings, something she might have received at an employment tribunal.
3.07pm BST
15:07
Eni Aluko: “I felt I would never play for Mark Sampson again. My position in the team was untenable.”
3.05pm BST
15:05
Eni Aluko adds she doesn’t know why certain things from initial investigations weren’t followed up but is now pleased with the findings.
3.05pm BST
15:05
Eni Aluko: “I respect Katherine Newton’s findings.”
3.03pm BST
15:03
Is Greg Clarke guilty of bullying you with his 14-word email? “Wow, I’ve not had a chance to think of that. I don’t know if I would go that far, but it is an incredibly dismissive attitude. It is really disappointing. I thought it would get better the higher up the chain it went, but actually it said it could worse. Would that happen to a male player with 102 caps for their country and 11 years of playing?”
3.01pm BST
15:01
Eni Aluko is asked about whether the terms of the settlement agreement was to secure ‘good behaviour’ from her while she was working for Channel 4 during Euro 2017: “I can’t speak for the FA in terms of why they suggested the two tranches should be paid separately, but I think they assumed I wouldn’t keep my mouth shut at the Euros and I could have said something on Channel 4 or on air. I agreed it as it wasn’t in my mind, I wanted to support the team.”
2.58pm BST
14:58
Eni Aluko says that her issues are not with the FA as an organisation but with certain individuals: Dan Ashworth, Greg Clarke, Martin Glenn and Rachel Brace. She says she has been careful to separate the issues.
2.57pm BST
14:57
Eni Aluko says more about Martin Glenn: “For Martin Glenn to effectively suggest that I should say the FA was not institutionally racist [when I had a legal agreement], I think it is a suggestion that the case has been handled appallingly. I don’t know what the legal definition of blackmail is but I think I was being asked to do something I hadn’t ordinarily have done to receive the rest of my payment.”
2.55pm BST
14:55
Eni Aluko: "Bordering on blackmail"
Aluko says that Martin Glenn intimated to her that if she released a statement saying that the FA is not institutionally racist then she would receive the rest of her settlement money. She refused.
Aluko is currently giving evidence: "I felt that was bordering on blackmail. I categorically refused to write any statement . ."
Updated
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2.53pm BST
14:53
Have you been paid the full amount of your settlement by the FA? “I have not,” Aluko says.
Why not? “They were agreed in two tranches. The FA have claimed I was defamatory in a tweet I have sent and on that basis they feel they were legally entitled to withold the payment. I disagree with that. I think when the initial Daily Mail article came out I was very brief. I wanted people to still support the England team. It was only after that when a lot of misleading stories came out and I felt I needed to speak out. The FA were keen for me to be very clear. I have given two interviews.”
Aluko describes it as a “request/demand . . . unwarranted and unreasonable.” As it stands: the FA is refusing to pay up.
Updated
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2.51pm BST
14:51
Eni Aluko is asked about Greg Clarke’s 14-word email. “I was astonished. By the time in November 2016 when the full report was sent, I actually felt at the time that sending it to the FA chairman would lead to a better process - if he looks at this it is going to improve. But actually it was the opposite. Because if it’s the FA chairman disrespectfully dismissing the complaint, I have nowhere to go. The last resort is to go the employment tribunal. The PFA was responded. A male player with 102 caps, Wayne Rooney, if they were to send a complaint like that, would he respond like that? This is a separate issue. Are the issues of female players in this country taken seriously enough at all levels of the FA? I would suggest that email says they’re not.”
2.48pm BST
14:48
Did the FA fail to give you a specific response to your allegations? “They were very keen to say there was no wrongdoing without looking at the video evidence from the China Cup. They hadn’t spoken to Lianne Sanderson at that point even though I had made it clear Lianne had issues in the team. They were dismissive straight away in the first meeting. We didn’t speak about specific itemised issues.”
2.47pm BST
14:47
Eni Aluko continues: “I categorically did not say that Drew Spence refused to be interviewed in any investigations. Let’s say I had - is it not prudent to pick up the phone and confirm that [with her]? I think that’s quite basic. That could have happened in the internal investigation and in Katherine Newton’s investigation. But I understand that Katherine Newton had to act on instructions and was told Drew Spence did not want to investigate and that was not the case.”
2.45pm BST
14:45
Katherine Newton: "[Sampson] appears to have difficulty judging the appropriate boundaries when engaging in “banter” with the players."
2.43pm BST
14:43
Katharine Newton's report concludes Sampson “did treat EA less favourably than he would have treated player who was not of African descent”
This comes after Newton's second investigation (unlike the first) interviewed Spence and other witnesses. Three confirmed "arrest" remark.
Updated
at 2.44pm BST
2.43pm BST
14:43
Eni Aluko says of the FA’s technical director: “I felt I was ignored by Dan Ashworth. He ignored my email.”
Updated
at 2.43pm BST
2.42pm BST
14:42
Aluko says: “I couldn’t tell you what the whistleblowing procedure is at the FA.” She says that she wanted to speak to Dan Ashworth about the problems she was experiencing and says the FA’s technical director wasn’t in the meeting.
2.41pm BST
14:41
Why did Aluko’s lawyer believe the investigation would not carry weight? “Because it wouldn’t have been tested before a high court judge. The legal process wouldn’t have been what would have happened in court. That’s the nutshell of the advice he gave to me. I didn’t feel confident in any case about taking part in an FA investigation I felt already had a lot of flaws in it.”
2.39pm BST
14:39
Eni Aluko says: “I didn’t receive any advice about whether I should participate in Katherine Newton’s investigation by the FA.” She adds her lawyer didn’t feel it would be wise for her to take part in the investigation - he told her that it wouldn’t be taken seriously in a court of law.
2.38pm BST
14:38
Eni Aluko is now speaking at the inquiry. “I did feel isolated in terms of the process. I didn’t want it to be as adversary as it has become, in terms of the Football Association versus Eni Aluko. I haven’t spoken to many individuals that I used to speak to at the FA. But in terms of the PFA, I feel I have had unwavering support. Without their support I wouldn’t be sat here. In terms of friends, in life you realise your strongest friends are and who some aren’t. Lianne Sanderson has been a very good friend of mine and a team-mate. I cannot say I have been completely isolated. It’s been difficult, but I’ve been supported in some areas”
2.35pm BST
14:35
In his statement, Glenn says that Sampson’s comments were ill-judged attempts at humour and that Newton found that the deposed England manager is not racist.
2.31pm BST
14:31
Breaking: Martin Glenn apologises on behalf of FA to Eni Aluko and Drew Spence
The FA’s chief executive has apologised to the two England players for Mark Sampson’s racial remarks. A third inquiry, conducted by the barrister Katharine Newton, has found that Sampson did tell Aluko to be careful her Nigerian relatives did not bring the Ebola virus to Wembley and also upset Spence, a mixed-raced player, by asking her how many times she had been arrested.
Daniel Taylor has the full story and here’s what Glenn had to say:
On behalf of The Football Association I would like to sincerely apologise to Eniola Aluko and Drew Spence,” Glenn said in a statement.
“Based on new evidence submitted to independent barrister Katharine Newton, she has now found that they were both subject to discriminatory remarks made by an FA employee. This is not acceptable.
“She also concluded that there was no evidence to support the allegations that Eniola Aluko was subjected to ‘a course of bullying and discriminatory conduct’ by Mark Sampson.
“Our ambition has always been to find the truth and take swift and appropriate action if needed. It was our decision to have the original, second and final investigation to ensure that due diligence was taken. It is regrettable that Eniola did not participate in the first external investigation as this would have enabled Katharine Newton to conduct and complete her investigation sooner. We will fully support the recommendations from the report.”
Updated
at 2.33pm BST
11.59am BST
11:59
Preamble
So here we are, in front of the digital, culture, media and sport select committee, waiting to find out more about the Mark Sampson affair and the Football Association’s handling of a case that has cast a shadow over the women’s game in England. It has been almost a month since Sampson lost his job as the manager of the England women’s team amid reports that the FA was guilty of a cover-up over racism allegations made by players in his squad. Top FA executives are set to be grilled about the apparent failure to deal satisfactorily with the seriousness of the issues relating to Eni Aluko and Drew Spence. Aluko has been invited to speak, along with Lianne Sanderson, another player involved in the story.
The players will be going first.This is a story that snowballed after Aluko, who holds 102 England caps, gave an interview on 21 August to the Guardian in which she alleged that Sampson had told her not to let her Nigerian relatives to bring the ebola virus to a game at Wembley. Much has happened since then, but to fast-forward to the latest developments, this week the Guardian exclusively reported that Greg Clarke, the FA chairman, responded with a 14-word email - “I’ve no idea why you’re sending me this. Perhaps you could enlighten me?” - after a six-page letter from the Professional Footballers’ Association detailing complaints against Sampson and another member of staff. As Daniel Taylor, our chief football writer, says, Clarke is likely to face some difficult questions this afternoon:
Clarke was one of four FA executives to be sent a letter from the PFA alleging that the governing body’s technical director, Dan Ashworth, and the director of human resources, Rachel Brace, had overseen a ‘sham’ internal review that was ‘not a genuine search for the truth’ and ‘designed to close down the complaint and absolve Mark Sampson’
The letter was sent in November 2016 and accused the FA of deliberately sabotaging Aluko’s 11-year international career to protect Sampson as well as setting out a series of grievances detailing “the incontrovertible evidence that makes it clear the purported investigation was a sham”.
It was the first time the FA had been informed of a previously unreported allegation that Sampson – already accused of offending Spence, a mixed-raced player, by asking how many times she had been arrested – had also made an allegedly racial remark involving Aluko’s Nigerian relatives and the Ebola virus.
Sampson, who was sacked last month, with the FA citing an old safeguarding report, denies all the allegations and has been cleared by the previous two inquiries – one staged by the FA and another, independently, by the barrister Katharine Newton. The second investigation was reopened a few weeks ago amid criticism of Newton’s work and the revised findings are likely to be revealed during Wednesday’s hearing.”
The session is due to begin at 2.30pm BST and we’ll be getting updates along the way from our chief football writer Daniel Taylor and our chief sports correspondent Martha Kelner.
Big fixture for DCMS committee, kick off 2.30. https://t.co/mWhjcQ1r2M
