The Football Association was under pressure to explain why it paid “hush money” to international footballer Eni Aluko, one of the most recognisable female footballers in the world. The England international was paid around £80,000 to sign an agreement that the FA claims were to “avoid disruption” ahead of this summer’s Euro 2017.
And now, a report from Guardian suggests that Mark Sampson, the manager of the England women’s football team, told one of his black players to make sure their Nigerian relatives did not bring Ebola to a game at Wembley.
Aluko told Guardian that FA had been well aware of the comment by November 2016 but ignored it despite there being allegations against Sampson that he had asked a mixed-raced player in another England get-together how many times she had been arrested.