LONDON: The former personal assistant to English Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore has launched legal action against the Football Association over its failure to investigate his sexist e-mails, Britain’s Channel Four television news reported on Tuesday.
Rani Abraham, who said in May that she felt compelled to speak out about the contents of emails between her then boss and his lawyer friend, is already suing the Premier League for £150,000, having branded it an “institutionally sexist old boys’ club” in legal papers in June.
She has now also lodged a claim against the FA with an employment tribunal, according to reports, saying English football’s national governing body failed in its duty as the ultimate authority in English football.
The FA deemed the emails to be private and thus beyond their jurisdiction.
Lawrence Davies of Equal Justice Solicitors told Channel Four: “Because the FA have aided and abetted the Premier League in the victimisation of our client, we say they have effectively acted as the agent of the Premier League to shut this matter down.
“It’s an old boys’ network, simply supporting Mr Scudamore rather than obeying their legal obligations.”
According to Channel Four, Abraham has also written to FA president Prince William, the son of Britain’s Prince Charles and himself second in line to the throne, in the hope his “sense of fair play and honesty may be brought to bear to resolve the situation”.
The emails themselves made derogatory references to women and contained sexual innuendos. They also made jokes about “female irrationality”.
Scudamore apologised for the emails, which were sent privately to a lawyer friend but were published in a Sunday newspaper.
