Is FA confidence shot? Sunday Supplement panel discuss Eni Aluko case
Sunday 22 October 2017 18:20, UK
The Sunday Supplement panel discuss the recent Eni Aluko case within the FA, and ask whether confidence in the organisation is shot.
The FA has "sincerely apologised" to Aluko and Drew Spence after new evidence found the two players were subjected to "discriminatory remarks on the grounds of race" by former England Women's head coach Mark Sampson.
FA technical director Dan Ashworth, chairman Greg Clarke, chief executive Martin Glenn and human resources director Rachel Brace were all questioned in the week during a gruelling four-hour hearing, admitting failings within the governing body's grievance procedures.
Vaishali Bhardwaj, sports reporter at the London Evening Standard, insists confidence in reporting grievances will be seriously diminished following the scandal.
Asked if those in question should remain in their jobs, Bhardwaj said on Sunday Supplement: "I don't think they should. I don't have confidence in them going forward now.
"If a player, anyone in the football world, came to the FA and raised serious grievances, whether sexism or racism, I don't feel confident that people at the top would take it seriously. That was the biggest issue for me with this whole thing.
"They didn't investigate Eni's claims properly. What they should have done at that point is admit they got it wrong, get Eni on board, and try to change things for the future. So that people are not fearful that if they raise a serious grievance it will harm their career, which has happened to Eni and her England career.
"I'm not confident in them going forward, and I don't think they should keep their job going forward. I think they will keep their jobs, but I don't have the confidence in them."
The Independent's chief sports writer Jonathan Liew added that a "root and branch" reform is necessary at the FA, and insists the governing body is not representative of modern football or modern society.
"The fundamental problem is that the FA is still not representative of football as a whole, and wider society as a whole.
"The fact the FA has stood by somebody who has made racist comments - and in my book, if you make racist comments you are a racist - the fact they stood by him and parked it to one side. They almost said: 'It's just the women, it's fine, it'll all blow over.' That's the sexism side of it.
"That doesn't change until you have - I don't want to use a cliché - but a root and branch reform of the whole organisation, and you make sure it is accountable and representative.
"But this is an organisation that is essentially only answerable to itself. The only way an organisation like that changes is through public scalping like this. Hauling them in front of the TV cameras and showing everybody what this organisation is really like."
