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Leeds United Owner Facing Stadium Ban After FA Launches Sexism Investigation

The FA launched an investigation into League Championship side Leeds United Owner Massimo Cellino's "alleged sexual discrimination against the club's academy head of welfare, and could impose a five-match stadium ban on him," according to Ian Herbert of the London INDEPENDENT. Lucy Ward's legal team, which last week successfully argued at an employment tribunal that she had been unfairly dismissed by the club, has written to the FA asking it "to investigate claims of sexual discrimination which were revealed in court." These included evidence, unchallenged by Leeds’ legal team at the tribunal and found to be valid by employment judge Stephen Keevash, that Cellino had "asked why women wanted to be involved in the sport" and that their place was in the "bedroom or beautician’s." The FA "will be investigating the conduct" of Cellino, Adam Pearson -- the man he hired as exec director and whom the Italian has claimed decided to dismiss Ward -- and Leeds Secretary Stuart Hayton, recruited from Liverpool FC last year. The governing body cannot start its investigation until June 10, when Ward "returns to court to be told the level of compensation she will receive from Leeds," as compensation for an unfair dismissal. From the '13-14 season, the FA introduced a "minimum five-match ban as standard punishment for sexual or racial discrimination." Cellino said that he had not made the "bedroom and beautician's" statement. Cellino: "I didn't follow [the tribunal] actually. It was not an important thing. The only thing is I’m very disappointed [about] is that I never said anything about what has come out about women. [That comment] is a very disrespectful thing [to] my mother and my daughter and my wife" (INDEPENDENT, 4/19).

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