Mark Sampson controversy has left the FA 'in a mess' says former England keeper Rachel Brown-Finnis
Tuesday 17 October 2017 14:06, UK
The Football Association has been accused of being 'in a mess' over its handling of the issues surrounding Mark Sampson's dismissal as England Women's head coach.
FA Chairman Greg Clarke, Chief Executive Martin Glenn and Technical Director Dan Ashworth will all go before a parliamentary select committee on Wednesday where they will answer questions about the events that lead up to Sampson being sacked last month.
Among the issues are accusations of racism, bullying and harassment made by England player Eni Aluko, who will give evidence to the committee.
Sampson, who lost his job following evidence of inappropriate behaviour in his previous role at Bristol Academy, strongly denies Aluko's allegations and has twice been cleared by investigations.
Speaking on Sportswomen, former England goalkeeper Rachel Brown-Finnis had some strong words about the situation the FA has got itself into.
"It's a mess," she said. "All the allegations that were put forward ages ago by Aluko have been unpicked by the press, rightly so, because I don't think the FA did a thorough enough job in investigating it, they didn't follow up a huge number of leads. So rather than coming to a lovely conclusion, they've ended up having more questions to answers than answers they've given."
Brown-Finnis added: "Players just want it to go away, but there are certain things that need to be resolved. The policies and procedures the FA has for recruiting people have to be looked at. Also they have to look at the safeguarding policies they have in place for coaches across the nation.
"What's come to light is there is a grey area as to what is acceptable and what is not acceptable under the reasons why Mark Sampson eventually got sacked."
The select committee will hear evidence in two sessions, the second sitting will hear from FA Chairman Clarke, Chief Executive Glenn and Technical Director Ashworth.
You can follow the DCMS hearing into FA governance on Sky Sports News and via a special live blog from midday on Wednesday.
