Press "Enter" to skip to content

FA apology vindicates Eni Aluko, but not without calls for resignation

Eniola Aluko has said she feels vindicated as the FA apologises and finally admits that she was one of two players racially abused by former England coach, Mark Sampson.

“I feel vindicated. I feel relieved. It suggests it was all kind of worth it.

“I’ve felt isolated in terms of the process; I didn’t want it to become as adversarial as it has become – the Football Association versus Eni Aluko. That disappoints me, what it has become.

“I haven’t spoken to many individuals that I used to speak to at the FA. As for support from the Professional Footballers Association, I have had unwavering support.

“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.

“Without the PFA support, I wouldn’t be sat here and probably wouldn’t have got the result I got today,” Aluko said.

This came as FA chief executive, Martin Glenn, issued an apology to Eni Aluko and her teammate Drew Spence after being subject to Mark Sampson’s racist remarks while FA chairman Greg Clarke admitted that the FA breeched their duty of care towards its players.

The FA however denied requesting Aluko to issue any statement saying that the FA was not institutionally racist.

Aluko said the FA had withheld part of the money promised her on grounds that she issued a statement clearing the FA of being racist after she her comment on Twitter which the body termed defamatory.

“I had one meeting with Martin Glenn, and he effectively suggested that if I wrote a favourable statement saying that the FA is not institutionally racist, that they would think about releasing that money. I felt that was bordering on blackmail,” she said.

“That was in a meeting and it was subsequently suggested in written correspondence with my lawyers. For Martin Glenn to effectively suggest that I should say that in order to get a payment that they already agreed to is, again, a suggestion that the case has been handled appallingly.

The Chelsea player also said complained that issues concerning female players were not taken seriously as against their male counterpart.

Meanwhile, following the exposure of happenings within the FA, there have been multiple calls for the resignation of all senior staff in the body.

It was learnt that, Sampson had asked Drew a mix raced player how many times she has been arrested, and told Aluko to ensure her Nigerian family do not bring the Ebola virus to Wembley. The England women goalkeeping coach, Lee Kendall, was also said to have being speaking to Aluko in a faked Caribbean accent, apparently to mock her.

The panel also heard claims of a black actress being hired to play a selfish and rudely behaved player in the presence of Eni Aluko’s former teammates all in a bid to portray her in bad light before her former teammates, all to which Executive chief, Martin Glenn apologised to.

Sampson was sacked after the FA looked back into an old safeguarding investigation and concluded its employee had inappropriate relationships with players at Bristol Academy, where he previously coached. The hearing was told that Sampson was paid for the remaining nine months of his contract and had brought in lawyers for a possible claim of wrongful dismissal.

After the damage caused to his reputation and the findings of Katharine Newton’s second report that he “did treat Eni Aluko less favourably than he would have treated a player who was not of African descent”. It remains to be seen whether Sampson can work in football again.

Facebook Comments
ETN24 - Explaining the News is about putting News in the correct context to promote understanding and education. We believe News should educate, not agitate. Our dedication is to fighting Fake and Sensational News, as well as to keep an eye on the media to ensure our peace and sanity are not sold for traffic.
+ posts