The "fallout from England's failure to reach the final" of the Women's Euro 2017 has begun with "leaked revelations" that the FA paid out £40,000 to a player who brought "a complaint of bullying and harassment against it," according to Alyson Rudd of the LONDON TIMES. Eni Aluko is one of England women's most recognizable players. However, the 30-year-old Chelsea striker "has not played for the national team for more than a year" due to what she refers to as a coaching regime that "belittles" players. Her complaints resulted in an independent review by the FA and an "inquiry conducted by the barrister Katharine Newton five months ago." Neither investigation "upheld Aluko's complaints," but she was offered £40,000 in addition to a new contract worth £20,000, "even though the striker made it plain that she could not play for her country" while Mark Sampson was the head coach (LONDON TIMES, 8/8). In London, Martha Kelner reported anti-discrimination organization Kick It Out Chair Herman Ouseley called for the FA to "provide more clarity about an independent investigation" into claims Sampson and his staff were abusive toward Aluko. Ouseley said that he found it "contradictory" the FA had paid Aluko "upwards of £40,000 despite the investigation" and a separate internal review "apparently finding there was no case to answer." On one occasion, Aluko claimed that in video analysis from a match, a coach on the touchline said, "Her [Aluko's] fitness results are good," to which another one replied, "Yeah, but she is lazy as fuck." In addition to being paid the extra £40,000, she was "asked to sign a confidentiality agreement." The FA denied this was a "gagging order" and claimed instead that it was to "avoid disruption" to the England squad that reached the Euro 2017 semifinals this month. But, "with the tournament over, Ouseley urged the FA or Aluko to provide more clarity about the facts of the case and how the ruling was reached" (GUARDIAN, 8/7).
