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calacuspr · 29 days

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Calacus Monthly Hit & Miss – Sell Before We Dai & Red Bull Racing

Every month we look at the best and worst communicators in the sports world from the last few weeks.

HIT - SELL BEFORE WE DAI

Languishing towards the bottom of the Sky Bet League One table, Reading FC are a club in turmoil.

Having been in the Premier League as recently as 2012, it is the Royals’ problems off the pitch are causing greater concern.

Owner Dai Yongge, whose takeover was announced on the night of Reading’s triumphant Championship play-off semi-final in May 2017, has been told by the English Football League (EFL) that he must “fund the club adequately” or “make immediate arrangements to sell.”

During his reign, the club has been relegated to the third tier of English football for the first time in 22 years; staff have not been paid; they have been deducted a total of 18 points; and given a five- year transfer embargo due to financial issues. Yongge’s tenure has also seen extreme cost-cutting, including redundancies and the CEO selling their most valuable player assets behind the back of their manager.

Yongge had previously failed in his bid to take over Hull City in September 2017 after reportedly not meeting the Football Association's fit and proper persons test. The Premier League were also said to be concerned about the takeover at the time.

At first he did make significant investment into the club, twice breaking the club’s transfer record. He also turned down large sums of money for their star players and tied them down to new contracts, funding the club through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Despite this, the result was only one top-half Championship finish and the EFL’s Profit and Sustainability regulations charged the club in 2021/22 with breaches due to the increased salary spending, leading to a six-point deduction.

Towards the end of 2022, further scandal followed when staff were not paid on time for November and December. With the club failing to stick to the business plan imposed by the EFL that stipulated maximum loses, they were deducted a further six-points in April of that year and would ultimately be relegated from the second tier.

Another tumultuous summer ensued and July saw the club hit with a winding-up order by HMRC for non-payment of tax. Pre-season preparation was hardly ideal given the club was without a manager or enough players to field a team, late into the summer.

The club have been deducted a total of six points so far this season, with another two point-deduction (with a further two points suspended) handed out in February after the club failed to meet HMRC payment obligations, in accordance with EFL Regulations.

By late 2021, the club’s annual £32mn wage bill was more than double total revenue and Reading have been barred from buying new players almost ever since with £220mn net debt being the biggest in English football outside the Premier League.

During this turbulent period, Yongge undertook little to no media interviews or fans’ forums where he could explain his strategy or plans to raise new funding or sell the club.

It defies belief that Yongge is financially struggling given that The Daily Mail recently revealed that he has purchased a multi-million pound mansion by Buckingham Palace.

This silence gives the impression that he has lost interest in the club and appears content to see it collapse, ignoring the importance of the Royals to its community of fans and stakeholders.

One of the oldest clubs in the Football League and rich with history, the fans have not taken the problems lightly.

Their continued campaigning against the regime, keeping the issue in the public eye, while increasing the pressure on the EFL and Yongge, has provoked widespread sympathy and support from clubs and fans from far and wide.

They have mobilised and ensured consistent communication and messaging through the Sell Before We Dai group. Since they were set up in June 2023 they have gained a significant social media following, secured vital regular media coverage and organised various high-profile protests in a dignified and progressive manner.

They describe themselves as ‘a fan-led pressure group pushing to encourage Reading FC owner Dai Yongge to sell up to a new owner before more damage is done to the club we know and love’ with a clear objective to ‘secure a sustainable future for Reading FC.’

The group has received support from a coalition of MPs, including former Prime Minister, Theresa May, and James Sutherland, who recently said: “As a fan what’s happening here is devastating. It’s clear that we need to better protect football from rogue owners — and if you want the perfect test case this it, right here.”

They also were instrumental in the council’s decision to list the stadium as an asset of community value, symbolising its importance. That means the local community will be informed if the venue is listed for sale within the five year listing period. The community can then enact the Community Right to Bid, which gives them a moratorium period of six months to determine if they can raise the finance to purchase the asset.

Tennis-ball disruption in the 16th minute of home games (marking the number of points deducted under Dai’s ownership) started at the Bolton Wanderers game and has largely continued since.

The most dramatic protest saw Reading’s League One match against Port Vale in January abandoned, when tennis balls were again thrown, before around 1,000 home fans invaded the pitch to protest against the ownership.

Sell Before We Dai urged no more invasions and said in a statement: “We should always be prepared to be bold with our actions. That was made clear on 13th January. Fed up of being lied to and seeing their club slowly die, fans felt they were left with no other option than to run on to the pitch and force the game to be abandoned.

“That action was a desperate attempt to bring attention of our plight to the nation, and to pressure Dai Yongge to do the right thing and stop delaying the sale of the club.

“We also need to come together as a football community and consider our next actions very carefully.

“We do not want to throw away all we’ve achieved over the past week. We received overwhelming backing from across the football community and media for our actions. We may lose that support if there is another pitch invasion in the short term.

“We also do not want to give anyone at Reading FC an excuse to put the blame on us for what is ultimately the fault of one man and his associates who have left us with a shell of a club.

“As we say, no action is off the table, at least in the long term. Fans have shown that they will do whatever it takes to force this regime out of our club. But right now is not the time to get the match abandoned again.”

Sell Before We Dai have not only met with the EFL, local politicians, fan-led review chair Tracy Crouch as well as elusive Royals CEO Dayong Pang.

They helped fund a truck bearing Yongge’s face to drive outside the House of Commons leading calls for the independent football regulator and another ahead of England’s match against Belgium in late March.

That same month, a club statement confirmed that Yongge was in talks with Wycombe Wanderers Football Club regarding the sale of Bearwood Park — Reading’s state-of-the-art training facility that only opened in 2019, sparking further outrage.

Sell Before We Dai organised a protest outside Wycombe's Adams Park stadium on Friday evening and said: "Selling one of the club's key assets makes the club even less attractive to a new owner".

Wycombe quickly made a statement confirming that the plans were on hold: "Wycombe Wanderers Football Club are putting on hold provision for funding to Reading Football Club and the acquisition of the Bearwood Park training facility from its owners.

"Importantly, it was agreed that while the details were being finalised and due diligence carried out, Feliciana would provide sufficient financing to Reading to allow it to pay its tax obligations and operating expenses, including payroll for the staff and players.

"It was Wycombe and Feliciana’s belief that they were helping Reading and professional football with the offer to assist its neighbour in a manner that had historically been used in the past by many football clubs. Indeed, Wycombe’s own training ground had been sold over a decade ago to reduce operating expenses and fund the club when the club had its own financial issues.”

Speaking to BBC Radio Berkshire, former chairman, Sir John Madejski, said: “I’m always an optimistic person and I think things will ratify in the near future and the club will be sold.

“If, as I think there are some very wealthy owners lining up, about three of them as I understand it, they’ve got incredibly deep pockets and if they can keep the training ground that would be wonderful because it’s state of the art.

“If there are any business people out there listening , I think reading could be a tremendous opportunity for somebody out there with deep pockets, I really do.”

Hopefully, Sir John is correct and The Royal’s supporters will soon have reason for optimism. They have shown what can be achieved by holding power to account, and refusing to let injustice slide.

It says so much for the club’s troubled finances that a fundraiser was set up by fans to support Reading staff who have not been paid while the Tilehurst End blog assessed what has gone wrong for the Royals and wrote: “This is now a club fighting to stay in League One, let alone get back into the Championship, following a chaotic pre-season and yet more points deductions.

“This is now a club with an owner who struggles to pay his own staff and the tax man, is in constant trouble with the authorities, and has been the subject of open revolt from fans who’ve had enough and are desperate to force him out. This is now a club that sent redundancy letters to 17-20 staff members right before Christmas.

“It all goes back to one man: Dai Yongge. He’s been the agent of destruction in Reading’s 2023, through both callousness and incompetence, leaving everyone else to suffer the consequences of his actions. Managers, staff members, players and fans - he’s mistreated, angered, undermined and disrespected them all. 2023 is the year Reading Football Club paid the price.”

In late March, there were positive developments when the club announced that they had “committed to a letter of intent with a potential purchaser of Reading Football Club. The parties will now enter a period of exclusive negotiation.”

According to the Telegraph, “It has now emerged that the mystery consortium from North America are the preferred bidders, appearing to have secured a deal ahead of hedge fund company Genevra Associates.

The party are understood to have advanced funds ahead of approval by the Football League to enable Reading to pay their liabilities and avoid another points deduction.”

Understandably, Sell Before We Dai were not getting carried away, especially without the identity of the bidder being made public and said: ““We implore the potential buyer to reach out to STAR and the wider fanbase as soon as possible to provide some reassurances.

“We also need to stress that ‘exclusivity’ does not mean ‘done deal’ and as outlined in the statement, there is still some way to go before we can truly celebrate the end of the Dai regime.

“This may be the beginning of the end, but it is still just the beginning. However, though we are preaching caution, there is clear reason to be optimistic.”

What happens next remains to be seen, but the dignified and determined actions of the fans at least give some hope that Yongge will sell and the club will rise once again.

MISS – RED BULL RACING

The controversial first title win for Max Verstappen at the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix was a watershed moment for Formula One.

With Lewis Hamilton seemingly on his way to a record eighth Drivers’ Championship, the safety car was deployed after Nicholas Latifi crashed five laps from the end.

Amid a muddling of the official rules, that gave Max Verstappen the opportunity to overtake Hamilton on the final lap and earn his first world title, signalling a change in dominance from Hamilton’s Mercedes AMG team to Verstappen’s Red Bull Racing.

Formula One competition has been rather dull since then, with Mercedes struggling to adapt to new regulations and Red Bull Racing dominating.

After winning the Bahrain Grand Prix at the start of the current season, Verstappen’s fourth Drivers’ Championship appears to be a procession, with little of the jeopardy such a high-profile sporting competition deserves.

By the time he triumphed at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix a few weeks later, Verstappen had won nine races in a row, and his 29th out of the past 34 races since mid-2022.

Literally and figuratively, Red Bull is a well-oiled machine, with the company thriving on the track and tightly controlling what information is released into the public domain.

That approach has been threatened since early February, when news broke that Red Bull was undertaking an internal investigation into allegations of ‘inappropriate, controlling behaviour’ by Team Principal Christian Horner.

"After being made aware of certain recent allegations, the company launched an independent investigation," Red Bull said in a statement.

"This process, which is already under way, is being carried out by an external specialist barrister. The company takes these matters extremely seriously and the investigation will be completed as soon as practically possible. It would not be appropriate to comment further at this time."

Horner is something of a pantomime villain in Formula One, unafraid to push technical boundaries and happy to clash with his rivals in search of success.

While acknowledging that an investigation was going on, Red Bull failed to follow a basic rule of crisis communications – do not leave a big information void that can lead to speculation and make the situation worse.

It took two weeks for Formula One and governing body the FIA to make statements, which said little other than that they would be monitoring developments, while Ford, who will become Red Bull’s engine partner in 2026, were more assertive in their demands for a prompt resolution.

In a letter to the Red Bull team, CEO Jim Farley expressed his displeasure with “the unresolved allegations of inappropriate behaviour by Red Bull Racing leadership.”

He said: “As we have indicated previously, without satisfactory response, Ford’s values are non-negotiable. It is imperative that our racing partners share and demonstrate a genuine commitment to those same values. My team and I are available at any time to discuss this matter. We remain insistent on, and hopeful, for a resolution we can all stand behind.”

On the eve of the new F1 season, Red Bull's investigation dismissed the case against Horner and said in a statement: “The independent investigation into the allegations made against Mr Horner is complete, and Red Bull can confirm that the grievance has been dismissed.

“The complainant has a right of appeal. Red Bull is confident that the investigation has been fair, rigorous and impartial. The investigation report is confidential and contains the private information of the parties and third parties who assisted in the investigation, and therefore we will not be commenting further out of respect for all concerned. Red Bull will continue striving to meet the highest workplace standards."

Strangely, no details of the inquiry were made public. While it was to be expected that the complainant and incident specifics remained anonymous, no information about the process, the legal team who undertook the investigation, nor Horner’s defence and the investigation’s conclusions were forthcoming.

Not even the identity of the lawyer who undertook the investigation was made public, let alone the scope of the undertaking or whether it made any recommendations.

For such a high-profile case to lack transparency inevitably gave rise to accusations of a whitewash aimed at moving on as swiftly as possible, when all the pithy statements did were raise more questions than were answered.

If Red Bull thought that the new Formula One season would see the investigation forgotten about as fans and media moved on, they were very much mistaken.

After the investigation, an anonymous whistleblower leaked a file of unverified emails, images and messages, purported to be from Horner to a female third party, to a wide range of media, Formula One, the FIA, and the sport’s nine other team leaders.

Horner, having previously refused to comment beyond protesting his innocence and confidence that the investigation would confirm as much, went on the offensive.

He said: “The only reason this has gained so much attention is because of the leakage and the attention that there has been drawn in the media. What has happened then after that is that others have looked to take advantage of it. F1 is a competitive business and elements have looked to benefit from it and that is perhaps the not so pretty side of out industry.”

Could Horner expect his rivals to remain silent, when he as previously been so forthright about other issues that have arisen? And do other team principals such as Mercedes’ Toto Wolff and the McLaren CEO Zak Brown not have a right to comment, particularly given that the tawdry episode has dragged their sport into the gutter?

No wonder that they have urged more transparency, while Formula One and the FIA have requested to see the findings of the investigation.

What the crisis also exposed was the fractious divisions within Red Bull which threaten to hinder its dominance just when it looked as if an era of supremacy was inevitable.

Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz, who died last year, left his 49% share to his family, while Thai pharmacist Chaleo Yoovidhya owns a controlling 51%, with Horner’s future very much a point of conflict between them.

Yoovidhya, who some suggested has been trying to extend his powerbase by removing those he does not consider his allies, backs Horner, no doubt convinced by the Englishman’s track record of building a dominant race team that he has led since 2005, while Mateschitz’s family are said to want him out.

Matters took another turn when Red Bull’s long-term special adviser Helmut Marko, known for his indiscretion towards media and other Formula One stakeholders, came under the spotlight with initial reports suggesting he may be suspended.

That triggered emphatic vocal support from ally Max Verstappen, who warned that his future was closely linked with that of Marko.

After qualifying, Verstappen was asked what he thought about the threats to Marko and responded: "My loyalty to [Marko] is very big. It's very important that he stays within the team. If such an important pillar falls away, that's not good for my situation as well. So, for me, Helmut has to stay, for sure.”

Not only was that a clear threat to the Red Bull senior leadership, it was also in stark contrast to Verstappen's carefully worded answer when asked about Horner’s position.

Whether he was speaking as a proxy for his son or not, Jos Verstappen then made it clear that he saw Horner’s position as untenable.

Verstappen Snr made it clear that Horner has to go, that the Horner controversy was "driving people apart" and that the team would "explode" if their principal remained.

“I sympathise with the woman, with all that she went through, but we will see what happens.

“In the press conference Horner gave the other day it was all about him and his problems when we should be talking about Max, the car, his performance and the race. I've already said I think it is causing problems if he stays.

"There is tension here while he remains in position. The team is in danger of being torn apart. It can't go on the way it is. It will explode. He is playing the victim, when he is the one causing the problems.

"I think it's too late for Christian to say 'leave me alone' but he has the support of the Thai owner so I think he will stay for the rest of the season. I said it would bad if he stayed, it really isn't good for the team, this whole situation.

“But the most important thing for me is that Max is happy. That's what counts for me. I just want him to be happy.”

It can’t have helped Red Bull fans that Verstappen was linked with a move to Mercedes amid the in-fighting within the team, with Horner admitting that they could not force an unhappy driver to remain regardless of a long contract.

To make matters worse for Red Bull, they chose International Women’s Day to suspend the woman at the centre of the controversy, with the team again offering no detail for the grounds of her suspension.

Could there be a more effective way to remind women in motor sport that they need to stay in their lane?

Unsurprisingly, the accuser then lodged an official complaint about Horner’s behaviour with the FIA’s ethics committee, which the BBC reported was not the first complaint made to the governing body amid concerns that Red Bull might try to cover the story up.

It was left to Hamilton, who has urged more diversity and better governance within the sport, to underline the problems the Horner crisis has caused.

He said: “As someone who loves the sport it's definitely disappointing to see what's going on right now. I think transparency is really key and I'm really, really hoping to see some progress moving forwards.

“We always have to do more to try to make the sport and the environment people work in feel safe and inclusive. It will be really interesting to see how it’s dealt with in terms of the effect it may or may not have on the sport moving forwards. It’s a really important moment for the sport to make sure that we stand true to our values.”

Ahead of the Australian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen tried to play down the controversy, backing Red Bull’s investigation process, while lamenting the lack of focus on the team’s on-track success and focus.

The information vacuum, coupled with a lack of leadership from the sport’s governance serves as a stark reminder of the fragility of reputation in top-level sport and Red Bull’s apparent lack of preparation for an internal issue when it has previously been readied for external issues combat.

The lack of transparency and suspension of the complainant reflect badly on the values Red Bull want to transmit.

The somewhat tone-deaf investigation and communications strategy has raised questions about the team's integrity and damaged Red Bull's reputation with its partners and fans which extends way beyond motorsport.

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calacuspr · 29 days

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Could algorithms be the future of football's transfer market?

FIFA’s President Gianni Infantino recently reaffirmed his position as a proponent of technology in football, re-floating the prospect of using algorithms to determine transfer fees for players in an attempt to refurbish the current model with greater transparency and regulation.

FFP regulations have not been able to keep up with the soaring levels of activity and investment in the annual windows. The past decade has produced transfer fees previously thought unimaginable. Neymar’s transfer fee of €220m upon his move to PSG in 2017 perfectly embodied this frenzy.

Part of the problem lies with the unsynchronised and dis-jointed means with which clubs value players. Many factors contribute towards unpredictable transfer prices with projected image rights, current form, performance data, and even agent’s fees muddying the waters. Despite FIFA capping the commission fee for agents at 6%, uncertainty regarding the process of player valuation remains a constant headache.

It is not, then, a surprise to see Infantino exploring methods to somewhat modulate the transfer market through unwavering algorithms. Integrity must be restored.

Technological advances in recent years, driven by AI developments, offer bountiful opportunities across the game. Time and money can be saved in scouting, for example, by using algorithms and data analysts to extract grassroot talent from the wider pool based on a club’s favoured preferences. This hurdles the tedium of endless in-person scouting sorties.

New algorithms like these may serve as regulators for the international transfer market with an automated pricing model levelling the playing field, reducing the perpetual randomness of player valuations. These steps echo the 2018 FIFA Council’s pledge to deliver a reformed transfer system package.

FIFA’s Clearing House in Paris (FCH) is aiming to develop such a system whereby it becomes the centralised authority through which all transfers are processed. If successful, we could see a stabilised transfer market built off a structured pricing strategy based on years of data. In addition, a training compensation scheme would incentivise clubs to foster young talent, further restoring integrity to football and increasing profitability across the board.

The necessity for reliable data to underwrite these algorithms, however, is central to their success. Accurate data input is the all-important ingredient for any algorithm looking to generate unprejudiced transfer values. The monopolisation of this programme by a singular body, like FCH, would ensure that such a criterion is met.

Founded by Moussa Ezzeddine, Melon Coin, an analytical company that uses data to inform decision making in sport, does just this. Melon Coin relies on a store of data that’s been collected over the past decade to give the most precise transfer valuations possible.

The algorithm relies on transfer fees, performance indicators, media visibility and characteristics to generate its findings.

Melon Coin works with sporting directors at professional clubs to advise them of market value and ensure that, working alongside their scouts and coaches, the club can use its transfer budget efficiently, without over-paying inflated transfer fees.

Infantino’s desire to move in this direction requires similar tactfulness. If done correctly, we could see the resurgence of sustainable football.

#football #football transfers #Gianni Infantino #FIFA #Premier League #AI in sport #Melon Coin #Moussa Ezzeddine #FFP #Financial Fair Play

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calacuspr · 29 days

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Chelsea is only the beginning – Infinite Athlete™

BY CHARLIE EBERSOL

There was a lot of noise when Infinite Athlete™ was first linked with becoming the front-of-shirt sponsor for Chelsea FC.

I’ve known Todd Boehly for many years, and he has always been eager to support technology advancements across sports so it was only natural when we became a long-term tech partner for Chelsea FC.

Todd was impressed by what we have been doing with the NFL and some of our other partners and wanted to explore ways we could collaborate.

The sponsorship was just a natural progression and way for us to propel our new brand – after Tempus Ex Machina acquired Biocore and merged, to the world.

We were excited to be working with one of the most successful Premier League teams over the past 20 years and their global profile is a perfect platform to showcase our technology to the wider football family.

Our partnership has included revitilizing the club’s Official app, digital and mobile fan engagement, in-stadium fan enhancements, and sponsor activations, as well as coaching, training, player health and safety, and match preparation. We are honoured that Chelsea have recognised the value our technology provides.

Chelsea’s Women’s team is the most successful in England over recent years, so we’ve been working with them, using data, for instance, to find ways of reducing the serious injuries elite women footballers have been experiencing far too often over the past few seasons.

Under the Infinite Athlete brand, we believe we can help to enhance, and even transform sports by synchronising data – on player tracking or fan sentiment, for instance – captured by otherwise disconnected platforms, allowing leagues, teams and developers to glean new insights and develop new products.

There are several apps being built now with our various partners that are iterations on our wildly successful MVX product that we launched with Chelsea last summer.

MVX, which is available inside the Chelsea app, is an AI platform on top of the broadcast which breaks down every single event in the game. You can click on the event, see the highlight, every piece of data that is being generated, the fastest player and more.

On the other side, what could ultimately be one of the most interesting parts of this partnership will be how fans can build what they want very easily on top of the platform.

Instead of dictating to them what we think they want, we give them the ability to actually build what they want which is really the thing that makes us different to everyone else in the space.

Our process is largely focused on reaching the largest audience of the most passionate fans, because we believe that will attract the best developers. The NFL, Chelsea, Colorado and others are just a few of our blue-chip brand partners with the best fans in the world.

We see ourselves as the operating system for sports, creating a single technological foundation, upon which innovative sports technology and media products can be built.

What we have done with Chelsea is only the beginning.

To find out more, please click HERE

#Chelsea FC #Infinite Athlete #Charlie Ebersol #AI #artificial intelligence #NFL #Colorado Rapids #Todd Boehly

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calacuspr · 2 months

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Calacus Monthly Hit & Miss – Sebastien Haller & Enhanced games february 2024

Every month we look at the best and worst communicators in the sports world from the last few weeks.

HIT - SEBASTIEN HALLER

The late, great Daily Mail sport columnist Ian Wooldridge once wrote: “There are days when sport reaches the sublime heights of unscripted theatre and draws from men and women performers resources of nerve and skill beyond human comprehension.”

The magic of sporting contest is that it can be so unpredictable that it is often said that no one would believe it if you made a movie about what you’ve just witnessed.

This month’s African Cup of Nations (AFCON) certainly fits that description, with striker Sebastien Haller front and centre in the drama.

Ivory Coast, the hosts, looked set to exit the competition after a disastrous group stage, when they lost twice, including a heaviest ever home – and Nations Cup finals – defeat when losing 4-0 to Equatorial Guinea.

Manager Jean-Louis Gasset was promptly sacked, but the team got a reprieve when Zambia failed to get the result they needed to finish above the hosts as a best third-placed side.

Haller had not featured in those first few matches due to an ankle injury, but his comeback is far more dramatic than a typical footballer’s injury.

A former France youth international, Haller made his name at Eintracht Frankfurt before joining Premier League side West Ham for a then club-record fee of £45million in July 2019.

He failed to replicate his Bundesliga form, scoring only 10 goals in a year and a half before moving to Ajax.

Haller twice helped the Dutch giants win the Eredivisie and became only the second player, after one Cristiano Ronaldo, to score in all six of his club’s group-stage Champions League games, and the fourth, with Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Robert Lewandowski, to reach double figures in the competition’s group phase.

This prompted Borussia Dortmund to sign him to replace Erling Haaland, where his impressive form was stopped in its track by a tragic turn of events.

In July 2022, just two weeks after signing, the forward complained of abdominal discomfort and during a consultation with a urologist, a testicular tumour was discovered.

Haller promptly underwent surgery to remove it and within the week, he had started receiving chemotherapy.

In a Canal+ documentary called ‘Fight’, Haller’s wife Priscilla described the news Haller had a tumour as a “nightmare.”

“When (he) told me on the phone, I didn’t believe it — it’s a joke,” she said. “Until he got upset because he takes the blow and on top of that has to convince me. I understood what it was to be really afraid. I was scared and had the fear of my life.”

Haller was determined to play football again as quickly as possible and had a personal trainer devising tailored exercise programmes for him in hospital.

When Haller attended the Ballon d’Or ceremony in Paris with Priscilla, the extent of his illness was clear for all to see, his hair loss as a result of chemotherapy a stark reminder of how gravely unwellhe had been.

Haller was voted the 13th best player in the world for his achievements with Ajax, and also went up on stage to present an award.

He was encouraged by his idol, former Ivory Coast captain and fellow striker Didier Drogba, to provide an update on his condition and said: “Everything is fine. I’m here because everything is going as well as it can. It’s important to be involved at such events to show that you’re strong.”

That turned out not to be the case.

A month after the Paris ceremony, he needed a second, more dangerous procedure, to remove the residual findings from the tumour, which took over four hours.

When Haller was eventually given the all-clear, he flew with his team-mates to Dortmund’s winter training camp in Marbella, telling reporters that “(retiring) was never on my mind.”

On January 10 2023 Haller was greeted with applause from his team-mates, club staff, opposition players and supporters as he finally stepped onto the pitch for the first time in a Dortmund shirt for a friendly against Fortuna Dusseldorf.

“It’s been a dream to play with my team-mates, certainly more fun than doing runs through forests,” he said afterwards.

Two weeks later, he made his official debut for Dortmund, and first competitive appearance since recovering from cancer, coming off the bench in a 4-3 victory over Augsburg.

The words “F*CK CANCER” were inscribed on his boots.

It was fitting that on World Cancer Day, in early February 2023, Haller scored his first goal for Borussia Dortmund, heading into the net against Freiburg in front of 80,000 supporters at Signal Iduna Park and subsequently swamped by a horde of yellow-clad team-mates.

He pointed to that message on his boots as part of his celebration and he said afterwards: “To score today was a great message to everyone who is fighting today or will fight later.

“It gives some hope, some courage. The days after will always be better. You only want to score another goal, to have that feeling again. It’s the best feeling.

“You’re flying. You’re on a cloud. The whole stadium is on fire. Your team-mates, the staff, everyone is as one. It’s a big boost. There’s still a long way to go, but we will walk down that path.

"Of course, you realise it is something really serious that is happening, that a lot of things can change. It's important to tell it straight about cancer.

“But the urologist helped me not to be scared. He said I could heal well. I took all his words for granted.”

With Ivory Coast struggling and scoring just twice in the AFCON group stages, Haller’s recovery from his ankle injury took on added significance.

"After the big defeat against Equatorial Guinea, we had no choice," Haller said.

"We've come back from a long way. There were words, moments, which were not easy for the players, staff and everybody [but] which were necessary."

Haller’s teammate Seko Fofana said that Haller's struggles with health and fitness inspired squad unity, especially after their coach was sacked in the group stage.

"He was a benefit to others in the team, always giving something else to this group," Fofana mused. “[Consequently] we're now a unit, a collective, and we can be very happy about it.”

Losing against defending champions Senegal, Haller was thrown on late in normal time to help save the game, and his perfect through ball to Nicolas Pepe saw the former Arsenal winger fouled in the penalty area.

Franck Kessie equalised from the spot to take the game into extra time with Haller scoring in the penalty shootout, with the Ivorians knocking out the holders 5-4.

Still not fit enough to start games, Haller was brought on against Mali in the quarter-final with the team down to 10 men, hitting the bar before Oumar Diakite scored in the 122nd minute to see the hosts through 2-1.

In the semi-final against DR Congo, Haller scored the only goal with a volley into the ground, which bounced over goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi and into the net.

That gave Haller the chance to put his health problems behind him, and looking forward to the final, he said: “The last 18 months have been quite challenging for myself and the family. I just take everything step by step and I just try to enjoy the moment. I don't want to have any regrets.

“It’s a great moment to be here in front of you, talking about the final of AFCON in my own country. It will take a few months, or a few years, to really realise what happened (to me).”

Hollywood scriptwriters would have ensured Haller scored the winning goal in front of his home fans, a scenario which looked unlikely when William Troost-Ekong had put Nigeria ahead seven minutes before half-time.

Kessie equalised with just over an hour gone before Haller seized his moment, flicking the ball into the net from Simon Adingra's cross in front of 60,000 fans at Abidjan's Alassane Ouattara Stadium.

An emotional Haller broke down in tears after the final whistle, the reality of his achievement hitting home.

"We dreamed of this moment so many times," Haller said. "We hoped to get to this point and once again the match wasn't an easy one. The joyous scenes we see now, what's happening in the country, they deserve it too. I really hope it does a lot of people good."

Haller was congratulated by Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara after picking up his winners' medal, perhaps in recognition of the impact his return had on Ivory Coast's Éléphants.

Understandably, Haller was front and centre of the team's trophy parade through the centre of Abidjan the following day, the victory a show of unity coming only 13 years since the end of Ivory Coast’s second civil war.

But victory was about more than just lifting the AFCON trophy for the first time since 2015.

Thousands of Ivory Coast fans came to celebrate on the streets of Abidjan, adorning the team’s orange and white colours, a national holiday called to celebrate the championship success.

Haller’s dignified and determined fight against cancer, his impact on the team and the entire nation underlined how sporting prowess can have a positive impact on society.

It’s a reminder not only of the importance of sport, but how its impact transcends the field, bringing joy, hope and inspiration to millions.

MISS – ENHANCED GAMES

With the recent backing of PayPal billionaire Peter Thiel and other tech businessmen, it looks like the controversial Enhanced Games has the financial backing to take place in 2024.

The Enhanced Games is a proposed international athletic competition, not unlike the Olympic Games, but with one major difference: they explicitly do not test for Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs). This is not to say that athletes are forced to dope, but rather than doping is perfectly permissible in the eyes of the organisers.

Their stated goal is to see how far humans can go, using a combination of chemical and technological doping; the former including anabolic steroids and hormone therapy, the latter technology like ’super trainers’ and swimsuits based on sharkskin.

The main philosophy of the Enhanced Games is that PED use should be seen as a ‘demonstration of science’ rather than as cheating.

Is this philosophy legitimate? It is true that no athlete succeeds on their own, and that every Olympic champion has a team of nutritionists, coaches and trainers, equipment designers, physiotherapists, friends, and family behind them. Why not add a pharmacist to the list?

The point could be made that high-altitude training could count as an unfair advantage, given that it is only available to athletes from countries that can either afford to fly them there, or who happen by chance to host training facilities in the mountains. It certainly gives athletes a clear and measurable edge over those that don’t have the option.

From a different perspective, a world-class swimmer like Michael Phelps has longer-than-average arms and a torso that is proportionally longer compared to his legs, as well as size 14 feet and a body that produces half the lactic acid of an average swimmer, but he is celebrated as a natural superhuman.

Meanwhile, women such as champion runner Caster Semenya, whose bodies produce higher than average testosterone levels, are punished and forced to take supplements to bring their hormone levels back down to average.

Clearly, there are grey areas when it comes to genetic and competitive advantages, so it could be argued that any and all enhancements should be allowed. That way, an athlete’s performance on the international stage would represent the combined scientific and sporting abilities of their nation to achieve victory as well as any genetic gifts they have.

Given the allegations of the Russian state-sponsored doping program that saw the state formally expelled from the Olympic Movement, forcing the nation’s athletes to compete as independents, this could be more endemic than we currently think.

The Enhanced Games also claim to have a vastly improved pay structure compared to the Olympic Games, including a stipend for all athletes that compete, as well as substantial prizes for the most successful – including up to and above $1m for gold medallists.

Olympic Games silver medallist James Magnussen has indicated he’d be more than happy to come out of retirement and take steroids if it meant a large payday.

He said: “They [Enhanced Games] have said they have a billion-dollar person backing them.

“If they put up a million dollars for the freestyle world record, I’ll come on board as the first athlete. I’ll juice to the gills and break it in six months.”

Three-time swimming gold medal winner Leisel Jones has argued that the Enhanced Games might actually benefit the Olympic Games.

“It might actually keep the clean sport, clean,” she said. “If this clears out people who genuinely want to [take PEDs] and are doing illegal things in sport, if that clears them out of clean sport, that would be wonderful.”

However, she has said that while she might be interested in commentating, she wouldn’t be interested in coming out of retirement to take part herself.

“I don’t want to participate in it myself, I’m not in a position to do that. The risks are too big for me I think for the side effects and whatnot.

“But I am happy to see other people do this. I would watch it for sure. I just want to know how fast they can go.”

There is some truth in the argument that traditional athletics has been afflicted by illicit drug use. Beyond Russia, a 2017 study carried out by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) suggested that as many of half of tested athletes had used PEDs in the last year.

Two parallel Games, one ‘natural’ and one ‘Enhanced’ could, properly enacted, result in fairer competition for all.

However, the Enhanced Games has understandably been strongly criticised by anti-doping agencies all over the world.

Travis Tygart, CEO of the US Anti-Doping Agency, described the Enhanced Games as ”farcical… likely illegal in many states” and “a dangerous clown show, not real sport”

In a release, WADA further condemned the new Games, calling it “a dangerous and irresponsible concept.”

“WADA warns athletes and support personnel, who wish to participate in clean sport, that if they were to take part in the 'Enhanced Games', they would risk committing anti-doping rule violations under the World Anti-Doping Code,

"Athletes serve as role models and we believe this proposed event would send the wrong signal to young people around the world.”

Australian Olympic Committee chief Matt Carroll added that: “The Australian Olympic Committee believes the concept of a drug-enhanced games is dangerous.

“We know next to nothing about this organisation but sport needs to be clean and it needs to be safe for all athletes,

“The Olympic Movement is devoted to clean sport and athletic excellence, celebrating the best in humanity, excellence, friendship and respect.”

A spokesperson from UK Anti-Doping has described the Games as ”‘unsafe, dangerous to athletes’ health and wellbeing [and flying] in the face of fair play.

"We believe competing is about respect, hard work and determination, not a dangerous game of endorsing drug use to enhance performance. We are committed to working with athletes to champion their rights, their health and their wellbeing.”

Even cyclist Joseph Papp, who was suspended in 2006 for PED use, has come out against the Enhanced Games.

“A doping free-for-all just invites the most ambitious person to be the most reckless person, and to take the most drugs possible without literally killing themselves.”

Athlete safety should be paramount in any sporting competition, and it is unclear how PEDs that are illegal in many countries would be regulated to ensure fair access for all competitors.

The condemnation that the Enhanced Games has received is also not limited to the world of sports: their messaging appears to be mimicking that of other, serious, political movements.

One of the Enhanced Games website slogans is: ‘My body, my choice,’ clearly attempting to echo the pro-choice slogans of pro-abortion activists.

Aron D’Souza, President of the Enhanced Games, said: “Fifty years ago, being a gay man was like being enhanced today. It’s stigmatised, it’s illegal in some sense and it’s done in a dark alley.”

In referencing a picture on the Enhanced Games website of an athlete holding up a flag bearing the event’s stylised “E+” logo, he added: “What changed for the LGBT community was pride — there was a flag to rally around and if you look at our website, it is intentional. What’s our first picture? A flag. Maybe this was our Stonewall moment.”

That is a bold claim even for a gay man like D’Souza to make, given the long and deeply oppressive experiences that LGBT+ communities have undergone throughout history.

There’s clearly a shock value aspect to the Enhanced Games’s communications strategy.

A further slogan of the Enhanced Games is ‘Science is real,’ echoing pro-vaccination arguments during the Covid Pandemic. These attempts to co-opt major worldwide political issues for the gain of the Enhanced Games organisers and investors is unlikely to improve the organisation’s credibility.

Whether or not they can attract sufficient athletes remains to be seen. At the time of writing, very few have publicly supported the new competition.

D’Souza claimed that 500 ‘sleeper’ athletes had privately agreed to take part, but so far none have spoken publicly, raising doubts about whether the Enhanced Games can go ahead.

With the very real safety concerns, the question remains: who will actually benefit from the Enhanced Games? It may certainly garner some initial attention, but what sponsors would want to be associated with such a controversial competition which would potentially undermine their own ethics and ethos?

D'Souza claims that he has no need for further investment, and that this is simply a project to see what humanity is capable of. But the financial incentives offered to attract athletes will need funding if the Enhanced Games are to ensure.

There is so much that the Enhanced Games have got wrong from a communications perspective.

Instead of demonstrating an understanding of the concerns and addressing them in a sensitive way, the approach has been one of aggressive belligerence.

Whether more athletes will sign up for the Enhanced Games in the fullness of time remains to be seen.

The risks to athlete safety alone will ensure continued widespread condemnation from the sports world and beyond.

#AFCON #Ivory Coast #West Ham #Ajax #Borussia Dortmund #Sebastien Haller #Franck Kessie #African Cup of Nations #Didier Drogba #cancer #Eintracht Frankfurt

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calacuspr · 3 months

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Crisis lessons from the Post Office Fujitsu crisis

It’s a tragedy that the ongoing Post Office scandal that has been reported in Great Britain for more than a decade only became front page news after a television dramatisation of the events that have devastated the lives of hundreds of postmasters.

To recap, the Post Office launched a new computer system, Horizon, which was run by global technology giants, Fujitsu.

There were significant problems with the software, which recorded inaccurate financial data and ended up with hundreds of sub-postmasters being wrongly accused of theft, fraud and false accounting which saw many of them lose their homes, their livelihoods and in some cases, their freedom.

The Post Office told each of those postmasters facing problems that they were an isolated case, pursuing them through civil and criminal courts despite there clearly being a pattern to the problems.

The Post Office has slumped from being one of Britain’s most trusted brands to an organisation now so steeped in deceit and reputational damage that it’s unlikely to ever fully recover.

Such was the extent of the cover-up that senior management at the Post Office and Fujitsu hired lawyers and investigators to help protect them, manipulating evidence that could have resolved the problem without ruining people’s lives.

There were so many opportunities to do the right thing – but self-serving executives did everything in their power to kill the story. The very volume of those affected made it almost impossible for the story to stay hidden, even if it took a drama to bring it to the public consciousness.

But as with all scandals, there are lessons that organisations can learn. Not every brand has the good will that the Post Office had, and that makes them more vulnerable to collapse.

Here are five PR lessons that organisations can learn from the scandal:

Be transparent and accountable

The Post Office failed to acknowledge the problems with the Horizon system, and instead tried to cover them up and blame the sub-postmasters for the discrepancies

Where was the leadership at the Post Office and Fujitsu to take responsibility, ensure the respective organisations took the right path and look to address rather than double down when the problems arose?

They also withheld and manipulated crucial evidence that could have exonerated the sub-postmasters, and tried to suppress and discredit whistleblowers and journalists who tried to expose the truth, sending intimidating letters and legal warnings

The courts later found that the Horizon system was “not remotely robust” and that the Post Office had engaged in “institutional obstinacy or refusal to consider any possible alternatives to their view of Horizon”. The court also criticised the Post Office’s “culture of secrecy and excessive confidentiality”, and its “oppressive behaviour” towards the postmasters

Be empathetic and compassionate

The Post Office showed a lack of empathy and compassion for the sub-postmasters, many of whom had worked loyally for them for decades

The employees were subjected to harassment and intimidation by its legal team and private investigators rather than listening to their concerns and complaints

They should have also apologised and compensated the sub-postmasters as soon as the problems were identified, instead of dragging them through lengthy and costly legal battles

Be honest and consistent

The Post Office lied and contradicted itself about the reliability and security of the Horizon system, and about its role and responsibility in the prosecutions

The Post Office claimed that the Horizon system was robust and accurate, and that the sub-postmasters were the only ones responsible for their accounts, despite evidence of bugs, glitches and errors in the system, and the possibility of remote access and alterations by Fujitsu staff

There were even reports that the head of PR and media for the Post Office helped write a story defending the faulty Horizon system that was added to prosecution witness statements, a huge betrayal of the honesty and integrity code that all communicators should abide by

The Post Office also claimed that it had no influence or involvement in the prosecutions, despite evidence of its close collaboration and coordination with the prosecutors, and its interference and influence in the legal proceedings

Be proactive and responsive

The Post Office was reactive and defensive in its PR strategy, failing to address and resolve the issues with the Horizon system and the prosecutions in a timely and effective manner

It only responded to the crisis when it was forced to by scrutiny such as legal challenges by the sub-postmasters; the media investigations by BBC’s Panorama and Computer Weekly; and Parliamentary inquiries

The Post Office should have taken the lead to identify and fix the Horizon system problems rather than let it all play out. Doing so simply showed them to be complicit in one of Britain’s biggest ever miscarriages of justice

Be ethical

The Post Office violated the principles and standards of professional conduct and social responsibility, using its extensive legal and communications resources to silence and discredit its critics and victims, and to protect its own interests and reputation, at the expense of the truth and justice

If you seek to defend your reputation even in the face of overwhelming evidence, it undermines not only your credibility but also that of those connected with you and your organisation

The fact that a former Post Office investigator refused to accept a postmaster was innocent after a court overturned his conviction speaks volumes; and had to be legally compelled to attend the government inquiry, shows how deeply the problems are rooted

Since the scandal emerged, the Post Office has belatedly apologised and admitted that it “got things wrong” which resulted in £58m in compensation so far and the quashing of 86 wrongful convictions.

Fujitsu’s European chief Paul Patterson belatedly said that it has "clearly let society down, and the sub-postmasters down" for its role, and that there were "bugs, errors and defects" with the Horizon software "right from the very start” having known about bugs as early as 1999.

How much compensation they will donate to those who have suffered remains to be seen.

The scandal is a shocking example of how a powerful institution can abuse its position and authority and use its legal and communications resources to ill effect, to silence and discredit its critics and victims rather than address its problems.

But it was exposed, in the end, a stark reminder that owning up and addressing problems is far better than taking the approach the miscreants initially chose.

#Alan Bates #Post Office #Fujitsu #Paula Vennells #Jo Hamilton #Mr Bates vs the Post Office

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calacuspr · 3 months

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Calacus Monthly Hit & Miss – Darts & Colin Graves

Every month we look at the best and worst communicators in the sports world from the last few weeks.

HIT – DARTS

It’s not that long ago that darts was associated with smoke-filled bars, pints and a male dominated crowd that didn’t exactly welcome a wide demographic of fans.

Watching Eric Bristow or Jacky Wilson with a cigarette or a pint as they played promoted a certain image that seems alien to the way the sport is now contested.

It all changed when Barry Hearn, the renowned promoter of snooker and boxing, led a breakaway from the governing body, the British Darts Organisation, to allow players to compete throughout the year and make a living from the sport.

The Circus Tavern venue gave way to Alexandra Palace and a prize fund of £64,000 with a winner’s cheque of £16,000 has risen to £2.5m with 96 players from around the world battling for the winner's £500,000 grand prize.

The format may essentially have remained the same, but the event has taken on its own personality, blending sport and entertainment together with intro music for each player as they walk to the stage.

Darts has changed from being a sport for old men to a spectacle played and watched by a younger crowd, attracting attention from general sports fans over the Festive period in particular, rather than just a regular fanatical crowd, many in fancy dress outfits.

The sport has become progressive too, with Fallon Sherrock flying the flag for female players and beating men in the World Championships on more than one occasion.

No wonder Sky extended their broadcast deal until 2025 when the last contract came close to expiring and after this year’s drama, no one would bet against them extending it again.

That darts caught the imagination of the wider public is down in no small part to Luke Littler, the 16-year-old prodigy who reached the 2024 final having first played when he was only 18 months old.

Perhaps his success shouldn’t have been a surprise, given that he was playing in under-21 competitions when he was just 10.

The unlikely star, who looks older than his teenage years, was a breath of fresh air, joking about his diet of kebabs and pizza and obsession with his Xbox.

He beat former world champions and his idol Raymond van Barneveld on his way to the final to truly announce himself on the world stage.

Sports stars flocked to meet him, including Tottenham Hotspur’s James Maddison, Arsenal duo Declan Rice and Aaron Ramsdale and, after the final, he visited his beloved Manchester United, who introduced him to legendary former manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

Because of Littler, darts became front-page news, the talk of every UK television news show, and the 2024 World Darts Championship enjoyed record-breaking viewing figures thanks to Littler's fairy-tale.

His semi-final against Rob Cross averaged 1.79m viewers with a peak of 2.32m viewers, up by 40 per cent on the previous overall record and for the final that rose to a total audience of 4.8m viewers – the highest-ever non-football audience for Sky Sports.

Darts even dominated social media with Instagram seeing 11.8m video views and 10.2m total reach on Facebook. The Sky Sports website and app also saw 2.44m follow the live blog, up 307 per cent compared to last year’s final’s 648,000.

Sky Sports Darts' Wayne Mardle, who knows a thing or two about the sport, believes that Littler is the real deal.

He said: “I can't remember someone going up there with such a swagger and just banging in 180s and hitting 11 and 12-darters like they are going out of fashion.

"I'm a darts fan first and foremost, I was watching it and I had goosebumps watching him. I love people achieving and that was a boy achieving something on the world stage.”

UK-based global darts retailer, Darts Corner's managing director Craig Heenighan underlined how this year’s World Championships have had an impact on the sport as a whole.

He said: "Luke Littler's performance has captured the hearts of the nation. It's clearly had had a huge impact. It's not often that darts is on every radio station and on the back of every newspaper.

“If you think of elite-level sports, what 16-year-old could compete and make it to the final and have a have a really strong chance of winning?

"And it's not as though he's scraped through, he's been quite convincing in the wins he's had. I also just think it's probably the way he's gone about it. He doesn't look overawed. He's got a huge amount of composure. He seems very at home on stage, which is incredible for a 16-year-old.

"I think with the younger boys and girls around the country, looking at Luke, at the age of 16.... We've all seen the videos on TV of him playing (darts) in his nappy at 18 months old.

"I think that (says to) a new generation that darts is actually quite cool. And (they think): 'I could be quite good at darts.' And I think it just breathes new life, perhaps, into a new generation looking at the sport."

It’s not just the teenage sensation that caught the headlines though.

In a sport where opponents respect each other and promote the positive atmosphere created by the excitable crowd, a word too for the eventual winner this year, ‘Cool Hand Luke’ Humphries, who, despite ensuring no fairytale ending for Littler, did a great deal for the sport himself over the course of the event.

In a sport where machismo was once taken for granted, Humphries made no secret of his battles with anxiety but has overcome the challenges and lost some weight which has also benefited his performances.

In the post-match press conference, Humphries added that speaking openly about his troubles "definitely helped me because it was a weight off my shoulders".

"I'm not the only sportsman in the world who goes through it," he continued.

"I'm definitely not the only person in this room that goes through it. I was very open and honest about it because it was affecting my career and it was hard to hold it in.

"There have been lots of people on social media who've said 'You've really inspired me and helped me'. That makes me feel great. I didn't do it because of that. I did it because I wanted to be open and honest. All of a sudden I had celebrities and sports stars that messaged me and said that they go through the same."

Humphries, also praised the impact Littler has had and said: “I’m not just saying this because it will please everyone, but Luke has been an unbelievable talent. He has been fantastic with all the media that has come about with him and he took the defeat so well. He’s one of the best players in the world, there is no doubt about that.”

Humphries vowed to give some of his prize money to his local club as well as Prostate Cancer UK, who had already been pledged more than £900,000 after sponsor Paddy Power promised to donate £1,000 for every 180 that was landed, 914 in total.

"I'll donate a bit myself from the prize money. It's very, very close to my heart. My father-in-law, who has battled prostate cancer, went and got checked out. He's found it early.”

While there have been reports of pubs and clubs closing, reducing the access to darts by those who do not wish to play at home, organisations such as Flight Club can attract a Gen Z crowd.

With more than a dozen locations in the UK and venues in the US and Australia, they feature hi-tech booths with pumping tunes that also serve brunch and cocktails and interactive screens to allow groups to play different games.

Littler went one step further at the Bahrain Masters final later in January, hitting a nine-dart finish as he beat Michael van Gerwen 8-5 to secure his first senior PDC title.

It will be fascinating to see if Littler’s rise has a lasting effect on the popularity of darts but you wouldn’t want to bet against it after the excitement and focus this year’s World Championships attracted.

MISS – COLIN GRAVES

Yorkshire County Cricket Club (YCCC) has a reputation as one of the most well-regarded clubs in England, having won over 30 County Championship titles.

But the Club has been marred by scandal in recent years and rocked by financial uncertainty that threatens its very existence.

While Colin Graves was first Chairman of the 160-year-old Club, from 2012 to 2015, the Club faced accusations of institutional racism, culminating in a complaint from captain Azeem Rafiq and later from others, resulting in a high profile investigation.

While the scandal was unfolding, Graves had an opportunity to take a stand and ensure those who were guilty were punished and safeguards put in place to ensure nothing like that happened again.

Rafiq’s claims painted a sorry picture of the abuse he and others had suffered.

The Club appeared to reluctantly concede only that Rafiq had been “the victim of inappropriate behaviour” while Graves attempted to dismiss these claims of racist language as mere “banter”, and was understandably roundly condemned for his response.

In late 2021, the Club released a statement concluding that “there is no conduct or action taken by any […] players or Executives that warrants disciplinary action”.

Yorkshire refused to send “anyone with executive authority to give evidence” to a parliamentary committee on the subject, while refusing to publish its internal report on the investigation into racism allegations.

When the report was published, it sent shockwaves through the Club and wider cricketing family, exposing a culture of racism that had long gone unpunished.

Yorkshire lost the right to host international games, was fined £400,000, and was docked 48 points from the 2023 County Championship, while many senior staff were sacked.

Sponsors understandably distanced themselves from the Club, including ground sponsor Emerald Publishing, creating financial issues that still afflict it today. The suspension of international games hosted at Headingley is estimated to have cost the club and surrounding area as much as £2,5m per game.

On top of the fine, the Chief Executive, Director of Cricket, and Head of Human Resources were all released, along with £3-4m.

After bungling their initial reaction, in August 2021, Yorkshire released a statement apologising to Rafiq and just over two years later, in October 2023, the Yorkshire Cricket Foundation released another statement apologising for racist behaviour.

Yorkshire’s increasingly difficult financial plight led to seeking investment from the Middle East to help address its financial challenges.

The situation got so bad that late last year, it transpired that the club was relying on support for the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to help pay staff wages.

There were reports that the heating had broken down at Headingley and that former Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley was planning on buying the famous ground.

When Ashley’s bid failed to materialise, it was hardly a surprise when Graves was confirmed as the only viable option to help the club get back on its feet.

A statement from the Club said: “The Board of Yorkshire County Cricket Club has tonight agreed to recommend the loan agreement from Mr Colin Graves.”

The former Chairman then told talkSport: “The ball is in the Yorkshire board’s court to make a decision, but my interest is real, it’s absolute, and that’s for one reason and one reason only, and it’s to save Yorkshire County Cricket Club. None of us wants to see that institution disappear.

“It’s not in a good place so from my point of view that’s the reason I’m doing this. I’m passionate about the place and I want to make sure that Yorkshire County Cricket Club survives and prospers.”

Understandably, Rafiq has sharply criticised Graves’ return and said: “There is a sense of sadness, a bit of anger. The message it clearly sends out is cricket is not a place that is safe for people like me: people from South Asian communities or people of colour.

“We have ended right back where we started. Nothing has changed. All we have had are empty words and broken promises. Now a man who has always seemed to minimise the club’s problems, a man who last June went on television and dismissed racism as “banter”, a man whose family trust was described as a “roadblock” to reform, is likely to return to Headingley as chairman. So where is the outcry now? Where are the interventions?”

Earlier this year, Graves released a further statement apologising to the racism victims: “I apologise personally and unreservedly to anyone who experienced any form of racism at Yorkshire County Cricket Club. Discrimination or abuse based on race, ethnicity or any other protected characteristic is not and never will be acceptable.

“I profoundly regret some of the language I used when asked about the events that took place when I was Chairman, at a time when I was no longer at the club. I understand and sympathise with those who regarded my comments as dismissive or uncaring.”

Local MP, Alex Sobell, made a plea for alternative investors and said: "Yorkshire County Cricket Club has admitted the racism prevalent at the club exposed by the brave testimony of Azeem Rafiq and rightly set up a whistleblowing helpline and investigation into the cases raised.

"Mr Graves has dismissed what the club has admitted, describing it as banter. I am very concerned that we would lose the progress we have made under a return by Mr Graves and would need not just a statement recanting his views but full commitment to create a club for the whole community."

Clive Efford MP, a member of the Culture, Media and Sport (CMS) select Committee, said Graves' return to the club would be "a disaster" while its Chair, Dame Caroline Dinenage MP, invited Graves to give evidence to the committee in February, adding that his return "undermines" the progress that Yorkshire has made so far.

"The disgraceful treatment of Azeem Rafiq by Yorkshire CCC was the tip of the iceberg, with racism, classism, sexism and misogyny found to be entrenched across the sport," Dinenage said in a statement.

"The publication of the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket's report last year offered a turning point for English cricket, which the ECB appears to be taking.

"The return of Colin Graves to Yorkshire and to English cricket risks undermining what progress has been made so far.

"The Culture, Media and Sport Committee will be watching closely as this deal progresses, so that the terrible past of Yorkshire CCC does not repeat itself."

Charity Sporting Equals also criticised the plan and stated: “The potential reinstatement of Colin Graves as Chairman of Yorkshire County Cricket Club would undermine the progress made.

“His reinstatement would send a message that emboldens those who perpetuate the myth that racism is simply banter, that it is enough to pay lip service to policies and procedures. It would make a mockery of the suffering of ethnically diverse players across the country. It would be a rejection of the ICEC Report’s thorough investigation and well considered conclusions.“

The Club was then forced to refute accusations that it had dismissed other potential investors in preference to Graves’ return. "Yorkshire County Cricket Club and agents acting on our behalf have met with over 350 interested parties to work through the validity of each and every genuine offer to refinance the club.

"No stone has been left unturned and a thorough and rigorous process has been conducted by the board to ensure the club stays operational for the benefit of its members, creditors and employees. We refute any assertion to the contrary.”

There is no doubt that if Graves does ratify his bid for the Club, it will prove to be an unwanted sideshow and raise further questions about English cricket’s commitment to tackling racism.

Whether sponsors remain with the club or depart to disassociate themselves from the controversy remains to be seen, potentially plunging the Club into further financial difficulties.

Some are said to be reviewing the situation and Rafiq asked others to do the same:

"My question now is for Yorkshire's current sponsors… Does Colin Graves reflect your values? Is it acceptable to describe racism as banter?

"Sponsors found their moral compass before, and they need to find it again, because any organisation supporting this is complicit in it. There is still time for them to act, to leave now and stop Yorkshire stepping back in time and undoing what progress they have made in the past three years."

YCCC has now confirmed that Graves will return, passing the vote with an 88% majority, a huge endorsement from the Club members.

How far Graves goes in accepting his mistakes and ensuring progress continues to be made in the fight against racism may well determine whether the Club can move on from one of the biggest challenges it has ever faced.

#PDC #Barry Hearn #Alexandra Palace #Luke Littler #Luke Humphries #Eric Bristow #Flight Club #YCCC #Colin Graves #Azeem Rafiq #Yorkshire cricket #Yorkshire #Mike Ashley #racism in sport #Fallon Sherrock #Eddie Hearn

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calacuspr · 4 months

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Five ways to minimise a reputational crisis

One look at the news headlines shows how many organisations are complacent, fail to prepare or don’t listen to their advisers, panicking when a crisis strikes, often causing long-term reputational damage.

It’s worth reminding yourselves that it’s rarely the crisis that causes the problem – it’s the way the crisis was handled, particularly when issues are dismissed as unimportant, those affected are not considered, or those involved try to point the finger at others for the problems they now face.

So remember these points to give yourself the best chance of coming out unscathed when a problem occurs.

Be prepared. You insure your house, your car, your health but what about your reputation? Do regular audits of potential problems and deal with them. Undertake regular crisis simulations and procedural reviews and refresh your media training and put sensible measures and precautions in place, as well as a positive and adaptable mindset.

Build trust before, during and after a crisis. Develop strong relationships with your stakeholders and let them know directly as soon as anything bad happens. Keep channels of communication open, even if your responses to media, for instance, are measured and strategic rather than reactive.

Do not hide when a crisis strikes. If there is a void where you are not fronting up and giving your side of the story, there will be others all too happy to fill the void. Speculation and ‘expert’ voices are quick to share their often-negative opinions and interpretations, so make sure you have a prepared list of messages for any potential criticism.

Ensure that your spokespeople and leadership are aligned on addressing issues and the media. That means being humble, listening to the concerns of others and being prepared to apologise. Those who are most successful when a crisis strikes tend to show compassion and understanding as well as being honest, accountable and transparent. Showing concern is not the same as admitting liability as many legal experts may try to suggest.

It’s worth underlining how important honesty is in crisis communications. Any attempts to hide or distort the truth make a situation worse, without fail.

Remember, as Benjamin Franklin once said, “by failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”

If you need crisis communications support or media training, please get in touch!

#crisis pr #sports crisis communications #Crisis management 101

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calacuspr · 6 months

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Calacus Monthly Hit & Miss – IPC & FIA

Every month we look at the best and worst communicators in the sports world from the last few weeks.

HIT - THE INTERNATIONAL PARALYMPIC COMMITTEE & STOKE MANDEVILLE HOSPITAL

The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has always recognised the importance of its foundations, at a then-modest hospital in Buckinghamshire.

With World War Two coming to a conclusion, it was a German neurosurgeon, Ludwig Guttmann, who came up with the origins that are the Paralympic Movement today.

Guttmann, who had escaped from Nazi Germany when their anti-Semitic policies became clear, worked at Oxford University and then joined the National Spinal Injuries Centre at Stoke Mandeville which had been opened to look after military personnel and civilians who had suffered spinal cord injuries during the war.

Guttmann had seen in his student days that individuals with spinal injuries were written off and essentially left to die.

He believed that they could be rehabilitated through sporting activity, which could build their physical and mental strength after the dramatic impact of their injuries.

One of the first sports Guttmann organised was wheelchair polo, with players using walking sticks to hit the ball, which he later replaced with wheelchair basketball.

The games were competitive and it was clear that taking part in sport started to change the lives of the patients.

Guttmann encouraged patients to learn archery, which allowed them to use their upper body as well as giving them an opportunity to compete on level terms with fully able-bodied athletes.

Inspired by the London 1948 Olympic Games, Guttmann arranged an archery contest on the day of the opening ceremony.

Sixteen disabled wheelchair-bound men and women, representing Stoke Mandeville and The Star and Garter Home in Richmond, Surrey, competed in what he called the ‘Paraplegic Games.’

Bob Paterson, who knew Guttmann when he was a child and later became a senior member of the International Wheelchair and Amputee Sports federation (IWAS), said: “After injury Guttmann focused an individual’s mind on what they can do rather than regretting what they can no longer do. Through sport Guttmann gave that person back the will to live a full life with pride and self-respect.”

The event at Stoke Mandeville was held every year, growing to over 100 international competitors

In 1956 Sir Arthur Porritt, a member of the IOC attended the Games and said: “The spirit of these Games goes beyond the Olympic Games spirit. You compete not only with skill and endurance but with courage and bravery too”.

That same year, the IOC presented Guttmann with the Fearnley Cup, a special award for outstanding merit in the spirit of the Olympics. Guttmann said: “I hope this is only the beginning of a closer connection between the Stoke Mandeville Games and the Olympic Games.”

A year later, the event attracted an audience of 3,000 to watch 200 athletes from eight nations and had extended to include netball, snooker table tennis, javelin, shot put and swimming as well as archery.

The growth of the event underlined the importance of sport as a tool to help society.

Even in modern times, there are communities who have ostracised those with disabilities. Calacus supported Laureus at the Indiability Games a few years ago, which were created to build bonds and bring physically disabled children together.

The first Paralympic Games specifically held parallel to the Olympic Games took place in Rome in 1960 with 400 athletes from 28 countries, while the first Winter Games took place in 1976 in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden.

By the Toronto 1976 Paralympics, specialised racing wheelchairs were introduced and events for amputees and visually impaired athletes were held for the first time. Just four years later at the Arnhem 1980 Paralympics there were events for athletes with cerebral palsy.

Dr Guttmann founded the British Sports Association for the Disabled (English Federation of Disability Sport) in 1961 and in the 1970s, he led conversations with the IOC about the use of the term ‘Olympic’ and the name of the various organisations – conversations that directly led the way to the close relationship with the IOC and the later establishment of the IPC.

So it was fitting that the IPC announced earlier in October that Stoke Mandeville will forever have a role to play in future Paralympic Games.

Starting with Paris 2024, a new ceremony will take place at the hospital to mark the start of the Paralympic Torch Relay, handing the flame to the torch-bearer before it makes its journey to the start of the competition.

Since the Sochi 2014 Paralympic Winter Games, the Paralympic Movement’s birthplace has hosted a Heritage Flame Lighting event each Paralympic Games edition which contributes towards the Paralympic Flame.

Back then, the Flame was lit with an "Armillary Sphere" – a model of stars and planets in the sky – with the spark of the Flame rising from the chair of London 2012 Paralympic athletics gold medallist Hannah Cockcroft as she was suspended inside the sphere.

This moment was followed by the lighting of the Torch and Cauldron by Paralympic veteran Caz Walton, whose career spanned eight Games stretching back to Tokyo 1964 and included 10 gold medals across three different sports.

In the same way the Olympic Flame is kindled in Olympia, Greece, the plan now is for the Paralympic Flame to be created in Stoke Mandeville, marking the start of the Paralympic Torch Relay.

IPC President Andrew Parsons said, “It is fitting that 75 years on from those historic first Stoke Mandeville Games and on the eve of ticket sales for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games we are announcing that Stoke Mandeville will play an even greater role in all future editions of the Paralympic Games.

“The Paralympic Movement owes Stoke Mandeville and Sir Ludwig Guttmann a huge debt of gratitude. What started out as a small-scale sport event in 1948 at the back of a rehabilitation hospital for 16 injured war veterans has now become the world’s third biggest sport event. At the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games 4,350 exceptional athletes from 180 countries will compete in 22 sports, while a cumulative audience of 4.1 billion will watch on TV.

“Through his pioneering techniques, Sir Ludwig changed the world with sport, something that is central to the IPC today. With this new concept for the flame lighting, we want to honour the history of the Paralympic Movement but also highlight the evolution of the Paralympic Games since the first edition in Rome, Italy, in 1960, which featured 319 athletes from 21 countries.

“Today, the Paralympic Games is a spectacular sport event and the only global event of impact that puts persons with disabilities front and centre. The transformational legacies the Games also leave in the host country and globally are also truly impressive and act as a catalyst to a more inclusive world for all.”

Dave Clarke OBE, CEO of ParalympicsGB, said: “Great Britain is immensely proud to be the birthplace of Paralympic sport and starting the flame’s journey at Stoke Mandeville is fitting recognition of its role as the catalyst for what has grown to be such a powerful global sporting movement.

“At ParalympicsGB we work tirelessly to continue to be at the forefront of the evolution of disability sport as we know that the performances of Paralympic athletes and the positive role models such performances create is one of the best ways of challenging perceptions and breaking down barriers faced by all disabled people.

“ParalympicsGB remains relentlessly focused on ensuring that participation in sport is open to everyone. We believe there is still far more we and wider society can do to improve access to inclusive sporting opportunities so more disabled people can experience the physical, mental, and social benefits of taking part to build on the visionary work Ludwig Guttman began at Stoke Mandeville Hospital 75 years ago.”

Caz Walton, patient of Dr Guttmann and subsequent GB athlete at five Paralympic Games, said: “I think Sir Ludwig just changed the world for us; it was a complete step change… He came in, he had a vision… As far as disability and disabled sport was concerned he did change the world.”

Dr Guttmann was later knighted by Queen Elizabeth II and Mandeville was chosen as the name for one of the mascots for London 2012.

His drive and determination for disabled sportsmen and women to be included in the Olympics established the Paralympic Games as we know them today and with the IPC’s announcement this month, his legacy is now firmly established as one of the founders of disability sport.

MISS – FÉDÉRATION INTERNATIONALE DE L’AUTOMOBILE AND THE MAXIMUM FINE INCREASE

It is perhaps a bleak reflection of the 2023 Formula One season that, as we enter it’s final month, headlines are not being dominated by a thrilling title fight, nor any particularly memorable moments on track, but instead by the dysfunctional communication of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA).

Amid a campaign of utter dominance from Max Verstappen and the Red Bull Racing team, the governing body might have been hoping that the United States Grand Prix over the weekend of October 21-22 would break the cycle of ”boring” races and bring about some much needed excitement for F1 fans worldwide.

Instead, through their own misjudged messaging, they have only served to further dampen the mood.

Following a meeting of the World Motor Sport Council in Geneva, the FIA announced on October 19 that, having remained static at €250,000 for the past 12 years, the maximum fine for drivers would be quadrupled to a staggering €1m.

The FIA statement read: “This amount has not been reviewed or amended for at least 12 years and does not reflect the current needs of motor sport.”

It has not been clarified what actions could be sanctioned with such a fine.

Unsurprisingly, the decision has been met with substantial criticism.

When confronted with the news ahead of the Grand Prix in Austin, the seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton responded: “It’s the first time I’ve heard of it, I’m not really sure what it’s referring to exactly.

"When it comes to things like this,. I really do think we need to be thinking about the message that this sends out to those that are watching. If they are going to be fining people a million, let’s make sure one hundred per cent of that goes to a cause.

"There’s a lot of money in this whole industry and a lot more that we need to do in terms of creating better accessibility, better diversity, more opportunities for people who wouldn’t normally have the opportunity to get into a sport like this. So many causes around the world. That’s the only way they’ll get that million from me."

Hamilton’s irritation was matched by his fellow British driver and Mercedes teammate, George Russell, who is the current director of the Grand Prix Drivers' Association – the trade union of Formula One drivers.

Russell said: "I'd say there's probably 40% of the grid that are making less than this maximum fine.

“And that's the income,” he added. “That's not taking into consideration the outgoings, the traveling around the world, the people you need as part of your team. It's pretty obscene.

"We've requested before from the FIA to hear where those fines are going towards, what causes they're going to. It needs to be reinvested into grass roots, but so far, we've had no response on where that's going.

“We'd love to get some clarity and transparency, and if they truly believe a million euro fine is worthwhile, and it's going to reinvest into the sport, then maybe one of the drivers who is being paid a lot is happy to pay that fine. But it seems obscene."

Despite being rivals on-track, Russell and Hamilton’s bemusement was shared by three-time champion Verstappen.

"I would like to know what that offence can be for one million,” remarked the Dutch driver. “What is it? If touching a rear wing is 50k, then I would like to know what one mil is.”

Verstappen’s comment refers back to an incident in November 2021 when he was fined €50,000 by the FIA for examining and touching the rear wing of Hamilton’s Mercedes.

Similarly, that was a situation that left Verstappen laughing off the severity of the fine, but then the Dutchman is reportedly the highest-paid driver on the circuit, which explains his ability to shrug his shoulders and carry on.

As Russell alluded to, many of the other drivers on the grid, those who drive for the smaller teams, simply wouldn’t be able to afford such a huge fine.

Alex Albon, the Williams driver who is competing in his fourth season in Formula One, stated: “If they’re going to raise that [the maximum fine] to a million, then they’re in some ways targeting three or four drivers because no-one else could actually afford that.”

Kevin Magnussen of the Haas team first raced in Formula One five years before Albon, but the Dane echoed the views of his British-Thai colleague.

“I don’t know what offence it is to be €1 million,” said Magnussen. “But that sounds ridiculous. I mean Charles [Leclerc] can give his watch, but I would disappear. Never to be found again.”

As is his nature, Magnussen took a light-hearted view of the issue, but his comment does also point to the seriousness of this fine increase for the majority of the competitors.

And the general rancour was not exclusive to the drivers, as criticism of the FIA’s decision spread around the paddock.

Toto Wolff, the team principal of Mercedes-AMG Petronas, supported the drivers’ opposition and questioned whether the FIA needed a “reality check.”

Wolff said: “I think there needs to be some deterrent for grave infringements of the regulations, but none of that was on the radar of anyone that it would be coming.

“A million, we need a reality check with real life,” Wolff continued. “Whether that is an adequate fine or not, I don’t think we’ve ever fined a driver €250,000, raising the ceiling is something that one needs to understand where it comes from. I don’t think we want to portray Formula One now in a world where it’s tough enough to give drivers fines of a million.

“I think half of the grid wouldn’t be able to pay them, and I don’t think it’s adequate considering…. I don’t think we should be playing around with those numbers that seem very surreal for people that are watching us.”

Wolff’s opinion was reinforced by the Aston Martin team principal, Mike Krack, who further suggested that the FIA was losing touch with reality in it’s decision making.

“Let's keep our feet on the ground to be throwing with such numbers,” warned Krack. "We have spectators here that are buying tickets already for quite high prices and by throwing numbers around like we do currently, I think we need to come back a little bit more to reality… I don't know where it [the fine increase] came from. I was caught out as well when I read it."

Among the drivers and the teams there was a clear feeling of being blindsided by the FIA’s decision, which explains the consensus of confusion.

With the additional context of the Qatar Grand Prix only two weeks earlier, after which there was widespread condemnation of the “dangerous” and “unacceptable” heat experienced in the cockpits – with temperatures reportedly as high as 50C (122F) – it is understandable that any argument the FIA might have put forward justifying the increase of the maximum fine to ensure greater discipline and safety on the racetrack would not wash with anyone.

The lack of transparent communication and consultation prior to the maximum fine increase was clear evidence that the FIA are not prioritising the drivers’ best interests, which explains the level of communal discontent.

Troublingly for the FIA, this is not their first communications controversy of the 2023 season.

In April, Carlos Sainz took to social media to voice his frustration at the FIA’s lack of clarity and flexibility after they denied him a review despite the submission of new evidence over a collision involving Sainz and Fernando Alonso, for which the Ferrari driver was issued a “disproportionate” five second penalty that demoted him from fourth to twelfth in the final race standings.

A month later, following an anticlimactic Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku that had minimal overtaking due to the FIA’s shortening of the street circuit’s Drag Reduction System (DRS) zones, Guenther Steiner, the team principal of Haas, expressed his disappointment at the unresponsive attitude of the governing body when he highlighted that something needed to be done to address the general lack of overtaking in the 2023 season.

There has also been a longstanding feud between the FIA and Christian Horner of Red Bull over various issues – none more prevalent than the $7m fine that the governing body delivered to the Red Bull team in November 2022 for breaching the budget cap. Horner described the punishment as “enormous” and “draconian”.

Across most major sports it is not uncommon to see governing bodies come under fire.

At a time of crisis, it is how you react that will ultimately set your organisation apart and there has been no such acknowledgement from the FIA President, Mohamed Ben Sulayem, nor any of his colleagues.

The drivers’ reactions to the maximum fine hike has made it abundantly clear that there needs to be greater dialogue between the FIA and their key internal stakeholders before decisions are announced.

If the FIA want to learn something from this situation, they cannot hide from the scrutiny now.

This experience can still lead to a positive outcome if there are people within the governing body who are willing to accept their misjudgement and vow to improve moving forward. A good starting point for this would be to open the dialogue with the drivers and the team principals.

For the sake of all the Formula One fans, let’s hope that the FIA are willing to do this, so we can turn our attention back to the events on track rather than the drama off it.

#FIA #Formula One #Lewis Hamilton #Max Verstappen #George Russell #Toto Wolff #christian horner #F1 #Mercedes #Red Bull #Paralympics #Paralympic Games #Mohammed Ben Sulayem

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calacuspr · 7 months

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Global Sustainable Sport – What are the reputational risks facing the industry?

In 2023, the world faces economic, geopolitical, social and environmental crises against the backdrop of ongoing physical and mental health challenges among the general population.

In the ultra-competitive sports industry, brand reputation is of critical importance.

However, as Native American comedian Will Rogers once said: “It takes a lifetime to build a good reputation, but you can lose it in a minute.”

Reputational damage can occur for a variety of reasons in sport – from an unintended data leak and shoddy fan experience to a sportsperson doing something inexplicable on or off the pitch. But it has the potential to be devastating for a sports organisation, league, club or athlete.

Indeed, in instances where there has been reputational damage, commercial partners are usually the first to go as they strive to avoid association with a tarnished brand. This often has real consequences on the financial bottom line.

For example, Hockey Canada revealed that it had lost C$23.5m in sponsorship income last year due to a sexual assault scandal.

A decade earlier, after finally admitting to doping after years of speculation, Lance Armstrong lost eight sponsors in a single day.

For the commercial partners, such swift action makes perfect sense. Research from the Rennes School of Business found that sponsors that act quickly in the wake of a doping scandal by severing ties with the guilty party can actually emerge from the episode with their overall reputations enhanced.

However, the response is crucial for all parties that are associated with a potentially damaging incident or event.

“There is a principle in PR crisis communications that it is never the crisis that kills you, it is your response to it,” David Alexander, Founder and Managing Director of Calacus, a sports PR agency that specialises in crisis communications, tells Global Sustainable Sport.

“There is a simple formula when facing a crisis. Acknowledge what has happened, express regret or sympathy for those affected, understand why they are aggrieved in the first place, and make a commitment to address your processes to ensure that it does not happen again in future.

“It is rarely the crisis that damages a reputation, but the way it is handled. Be strong, humble and determined to fix the problem and remain transparent, telling your stakeholders of your plans and progress along the way.”

From a good governance perspective, top officials and executives within any organisation should take a leading role in setting the right example to build and safeguard reputations. However, in organisations that have evolved through a changing world for generations, this may not come naturally.

“Sports organisations, by their very nature, can struggle with progress and often have established and conservative governance executives who cannot keep up with the pace of change,” Alexander says.

“We are in an era where consumers want their sports teams or associations to stand for something positive and do good in the world, and marrying that up with the challenges of attracting suitable sponsors who may not share precisely the same value set can be difficult.”

Some reputational headwinds are unexpected and inevitable in sport. However, sometimes sports organisations take proactive strategic decisions that have clear reputational risks from the outset.

“Money talks, as well, and the increasing influence and impact of wealth from the Middle East is also creating challenges,” Alexander adds.

“We have, for instance, rainbow armbands, laces and other symbols of support for the LGBTQ+ community in various sports, despite the fact that in many countries, particularly in the Middle East, homosexuality is illegal, as just one example.

“How sports can continue to engage and align with such a wide range of diverse communities when some cultures shut them down is a challenge that they have not yet solved.”

Alexander also makes the point that “some traditional sports are struggling to retain or attract younger audiences, for instance, and if they align themselves with repressive regimes, that may deter fans from engaging as they otherwise would.”

The broader challenge is that sport is an industry in which balancing risk versus potential reward is an everyday calculation that is factored into business models, from signing players to awarding hosting rights.

Alexander warns: “If you put profits over people, particularly when the risks of going down a certain route or aligning with specific sponsors, investors or hosts is concerned, it’s a long journey to win them back.”

With this in mind, a thorough risk assessment of any strategic choices is essential, he adds.

“Having core values and ensuring that every partner and stakeholder aligns to those values, ideally as engaging and supportive of every demographic as possible, is fundamental,” Alexander says.

“There have been incidences where football clubs, for instance, have signed players who have been accused of sexual misconduct, and whether they are guilty or not, their presence alienates huge swathes of their community, from female staff and teams to families who pay to watch them and sponsors who want to create positive vibes.”

A commitment to making a positive change in advance of a collaboration being struck is also important.

“This community activity should not be profit-making, nor should it be done with any thought for the bottom line,” Alexander explains.

“Supporting those most in need, using profits or expertise to empower those in disadvantaged communities or situations has a huge impact on loyalty but it should be a benefit, not a focus. You have to do the right thing because it is the right thing, not because it makes you look good, essentially.”

To read the full article, please click HERE

#crisis pr #Issues and Crisis management #sports crisis #sustainability in sport #RFEF #Spanish football #Luis Rubiales #Alzheimer's Society #FootbalL Association

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calacuspr · 7 months

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Sol Campbell – Players must stay anchored in social media age

Sol Campbell is one of the most famous English footballers of the past 25 years.

After rising through the ranks at Tottenham Hotspur and becoming the club captain, his free transfer to arch rivals Arsenal stunned the football world.

He went on to help the Gunners win two FA Cups and lift the Premier League twice, the second as an Invincible when Arsenal went 49 games undefeated.

With more than 70 England caps to his name, Campbell established himself as a titan of football, and now has various interests in the game as well as being a qualified UEFA-level coach and supporter of good causes.

With technology advancing all the time, Sol was keen to share his views on the advantages and challenges that football faces in the digital age.

“I studied at Harvard for a little bit and I'm looking at football in a totally different way,” he told Calacus at the World Football Summit in Seville.

“Technology is amazing. We're going 100 mph, everything’s happening and more and more are people coming into this space of tech and sports.

“Back when I was playing, tech was a VHS video, or maybe a little later on a disc, and we would watch, say, 20 minutes of the opposition and that was it.

“You go through a few scenarios, but you had to think for yourself and think outside the box. We had a lot more players who did that because we didn't have anything else. Maybe some scouts would have gone to watch the team or you might watch the team on one of the sports channels, but you had to almost learn on the job and work out your centre forward or your midfielder pretty quickly.

“The trouble with data is that a lot of the data is driven by people not in sport. They're doing all these advancements here and there, but when you look at sportsmen and women, they’re nowhere near it.

“You had a little bit of a vague understanding of what they're trying to do, but you have to be ready for anything, any situation. Expect the unexpected.

“But now, fast forward, they have everything. They have (data on) how fast this guy can move and jog, how many passes, what kind of crosses, everything.

“Players have got lazy about studying the game. This is what's happening. I think it's good to have all that information, but then you have to allow the player to start thinking as well.

“Thinking outside the box, that’s how you win championships and win World Cups. Someone actually thinks outside the box within the structure of the game. He or she has something different that makes the difference.

“There have been great leaps and bounds in technology and I think it’s a fantastic partner going forward in sport, but you have to leave a little bit of space for athletes to start thinking and have a little bit of character as well.”

Sol’s former team, Arsenal, were famed for their Tuesday Club, a drinking society that bonded the team during quieter midweeks, some of the sessions going on for days.

In the era of social media, players are exposed to a range of social and mainstream media touchpoints which in some ways puts them in closer contact with fans than in years gone by.

Players have to get a balance between engaging with their fanbase, supporting promotions with their partners and protecting themselves from the inevitable keyboard warriors that can hound and abuse.

Having made a controversial move from Tottenham Hotspur to rivals Arsenal, Sol knows full well what it means to be the focus of criticism from fans.

Offering advice to today’s players, he said: “The main thing is to try to stay centred and make sure your heart, your soul, your spirit, your family, your friends, all those elements are in place.

“If you've got good friends, you've got good family and you've got a good club around you, that’s the key to get through the tough times.

“When you're anchored, you can sway but you don't drift, however choppy the seas become and when it passes, you're in roughly the same vicinity.

“Looking back, the main thing was that I had a job to do. I had to make it work, even if it wasn’t easy.

“The environment was hostile, so you’re thinking about what to do. You just have to get the job done and win. I don't think people would be allowed to put this type of pressure on one individual ever again.

“The players have got (social media) companies behind them now. A player now who has a social media following of over 50,000 or 100,000, they don't do it themselves. You’ve got to make sure that it is authentic, though.”

Sol had managerial spells at Macclesfield Town and Southend United, clubs both dealing with financial and personnel struggles.

He has not had a major managerial role since then, something he has previously voiced his frustration about, given that other former players have been given time and opportunity at far more stable Football League and Premier League clubs.

It remains a hope of his that the barriers which currently mean less than 5% of coaches and managers in professional football are from a BAME background soon disappear.

He added: “If we go forward 50 or 100 years and then we look back at this period of time, when it comes to coaching or diversity or black coaches in this ecosystem, when you look at it, you want the best coaching, but you just want a level playing field.

“You want to allow growth, so people come and participate in a beautiful world game and it doesn't matter where you're from or who you are, what colour you are, you’re just allowed to get into this environment.

“There’s a big elephant in the room when it comes to coaches. Not just in the UK, it’s a worldwide situation that we have to address.

“Looking back they’ll say: “what happened here? Why are we not moving in a positive way?”

While coaching and management in football may not be a fair reflection on both society and the diversity in teams up and down the country, the power of sport to have a positive impact remains something that Sol remains passionate about.

He set up ‘Kids Go Live’ to help inner city children experience live sporting events and has contributed to a wide range of good causes.

He said: “Giving back to the local community is key – there are so many things you can do to help, like player engagements or tickets or going to a school or to a hospital, to cement that connection with the community.

“I think it's a cornerstone for athletes. It's not worth you earning and utilising the fanbase or a particular community and not being a part of it. We're all in it together and really giving back to the local community, it's like tenfold.”

Sol’s performances for Arsenal and England showed a steely confidence in the face of adversity – and no doubt he will continue to push for a more inclusive and tolerant society, both within the bounds of football and beyond.

#Sol Campbell #Arsene Wenger #Arsenal #England football #Tottenham Hotspur #Welsh FA #Southend United #Social media

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calacuspr · 7 months

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Steve Atkins - Communications Principles are vital to PR success

Steve Atkins is a leading sports communications director with three decades of experience at the highest level.

He was a key figure in the world of international diplomacy, as Deputy Press Secretary at the British Embassy in Washington, D.C. during a critical time in world history.

He then spent almost 14 years at Chelsea FC, during the height of their success under former owner Roman Abramovich, before joining McLaren Racing in December 2022 as the Chief Communications Officer.

He recently spoke to the CIPR Sports Network to share his expertise and experiences.

Steve admitted that the move from a big government role to Chelsea FC was a big change in terms of communications infrastructure at the time, but he was afforded access to the leadership team, which helped him to successfully navigate communications challenges that inevitably arose.

He explained: “In government communications, there is quite a big support network that you have at your disposal. And while you are given the authority and the space to make decisions within that guidance, there’s very much a safety net. But there’s also very strict guidance as to what you can and can’t say.

“The scope I had to work with at Chelsea at first was quite unnerving because there wasn’t that safety net and you knew that anything that went out from the club… you were really driving those comms and driving that messaging.

“I really found that quite pleasing because I’ve always felt that if you’re going to be an effective comms director or in fact an effective communications person at whatever level, you need really need line of sight of decision-making. That’s certainly something that I got at Chelsea, by and large. I argued for being in those rooms so I could raise the red flag or the orange flag and generally I got that.”

Steve is credited with transforming the relationship between the club and media, undertaking a long-term campaign to open channels of communication and educating both journalists and the Chelsea leadership on the importance of fair comment.

He said: “When I first joined Chelsea back in 2008, it was a club that wasn’t particularly open in terms of access. It entered into a lot of litigation with newspapers and it was a club that said “No” a lot.

“It had a reputation, I think unfairly, with the media at that time, of being economical with the truth. Walking into that environment, it was something that I wanted to change.

“I saw it as my challenge to try and put that back on an even keel. There’s a saying that you don't pick a fight with people who buy ink by the barrel load because they're always going to have the final say.

“So I went on an education programme with the board, but also with a few of the key journalists that caused us trouble., about the fact that it was a two-way street.

“We would open up access, but we would do so because we were looking for fair and balanced reporting. That's all we can ever ask of anybody. It was an education process with the board to say look, don't remonstrate with journalists just because you don't like the way they've written something.

“If it's inaccurate, we'll get it corrected. If it's defamatory, then we'll get it taken down. If they refuse to, then we can start thinking about legal letters, but don't complain just because don't like the way somebody's written something. Opinion is fine if we're criticised for something we've done wrong and the criticism is fair, let it go.

“Don't forget in football you're working in a very competitive briefing market. It's not just players, not just agents, it's friends, it's girlfriends, it's friends of friends.

“It's very important in football as a communicator that you are credible, that you are the one authoritative voice. We needed to increase the access, we needed to be more open, be more honest, give them more information and not be so combative.

“I think it's fair to say that over the last five to 10 years Chelsea was considered one of the best and one of the easiest to work with and one of the most credible.”

Beyond the media, the fanbase is a hugely important audience for football clubs and critical to strategic thinking. Steve added: “Football itself is inherently tribal. You play your matches in your stadiums, in the community in which the football club was born. Football clubs are theirs, they have such a huge vested interest in everything that goes on at the club

“If you're making decisions, you are almost making decisions not just on behalf of the club, but you're making them on behalf of the fan.

“There were decisions made obviously by Premier League clubs, by Chelsea and by Liverpool and Man City and other clubs, obviously where they got it wrong. One of those was a European Super League where about six clubs got it absolutely wrong.

“Had comms directors been in the room when they had said yes to doing it, I think the decision might have been different.”

While it’s vital to engage with fans, Steve highlighted the challenge of fan misbehaviour, a symptom of society rather than sport, which bleeds into sporting fandom. But that gave the club the opportunity to engage with fans and educate them and the wider sporting world through their actions.

He commented: “Some of the bigger challenges in football would have been fan behaviour. Whether it was fan violence, whether it was racism, whether it's anti-Semitism, one of the issues that football has always had is that some of society's ills land on football clubs’ doorsteps.

“It was not a problem that was unique to Chelsea, absolutely not. These issues happen up and down the country, indeed on the continent and elsewhere in the world. Issues of racism, anti-Semitism, fan violence in and outside the stadium happen much less these days.

“Those are often some of the more difficult things that we had to deal with because they were seen as something that was culturally wrong with that club. So trying to educate supporters and supporter groups and bring them on the journey with the modern day club in terms of what is acceptable, that's the long term challenge.

“The force for good work that was done off the pitch was never done as a PR exercise, they were always done to try and positively affect a situation. Roman Abramovich could see that anti-Semitism was growing in Europe, he knew that there were instances of anti-Semitism at the club, so we put a real focus on that.

“It wasn't driven by the PR department, that was driven by him. We took supporter groups to Auschwitz on tour. We have a lot of right-minded supporters who were able to spread the word about their experiences of Auschwitz and how they understood how wrong anti-Semitism was.

“And they did a good job of helping us educate the fanbase. It was not done as a PR exercise or to deflect media attention away from what was going on, rather what we were saying we're doing this because there is an issue here.”

After 14 years, it felt like the end of an era for Steve at Chelsea, and he decided to look for a new role.

“I probably had to deal with everything that football could throw at a fan base, so when Chelsea won the Club World Cup back in Abu Dhabi last year, that completed the trophy set,” he added.

“Fourteen years anywhere is a long time, but 14 years at a Premier League club could be a lifetime (so) I decided to start looking at something else.”

Having steered Chelsea through their change of ownership, Steve accepted the opportunity to join McLaren Racing as Chief Commercial Officer.

Moving to a new company and a new sporting environment may provide challenges, but, sagely, Steve believes it’s important to stick to your core principles.

“The media audiences are quite different (but) the mechanics of communications actually stay the same. If you stick to some principles, it stops you getting in trouble that some others might do,” he said.

“You'd be surprised to see how many communicators don't have a set of principles. I was very fortunate to work for Sir Christopher Meyer, former British ambassador to the US, who sadly passed away last year. One day before going down to see Wolf Blitzer and do a live interview with CNN, he asked me what my media philosophy was.

“I was a bit of a deer in the headlights with that question. So we grabbed a pen. He grabbed a piece of paper and we wrote out the 10 Commandments that we would aspire to keep to when we worked together so that I could trust him and he could trust me.

“And that's still 10 commandments for the work today. So it is: ‘Never lie. Your credibility will be destroyed immediately.’ ‘Don't waffle if you don't know the answer.’ ‘Don't lead them up a garden path. You'll embarrass yourself. You'll say something you shouldn't.’ ‘Always respect the tyranny of the deadline and the insatiable appetite for editors.’”

McLaren Racing has more than a thousand staff servicing five different teams, including Formula 1, IndyCar, Formula E and Extreme E and an eSports team, each with its own comms team.

It’s quite a contrast to football and Steve said: “I'm very lucky that I've got a communications team in each series and at any one time those communications teams are in the four corners of the world.

“We have communications directors in each team with a number of staff which are also connected the social and digital for those teams also. So I am very lucky in that I sit across communications teams who are absolutely excellent at the top of their game.

“They know their race series, they know their teams, they know their team principles, they know their drivers and the social and digital teams know what their fan base is.

“I'm really here for strategic guidance to make sure that they've got some sort of oversight and control, but also advice, guidance and steering from centre here at McLaren headquarters.

“The key principal people in the race teams, again, goes back to that line of sight decision-making – being there to offer counsel, offer advice , but also on any policies and strategic moves that they want to make.

“Whereas at Chelsea, I was very much at the coal face most of the time, here I can take a more elevated, more strategic view.”

Without their own stadia, or the catering and ticketing income that comes with that, motor sport relies on its sponsors and partners to support them, as Steve explained: “One of the surprising things for me at McLaren race is just how commercial it is. Pretty much everything we do is with the focus on partners and making sure that they are getting value for money. Sponsorship allows you to race, so without partners we don't race.

“Because motor racing isn't born out of the communities the relationship with motor racing fans is very different than it is with football fans. Motor racing is quite different: it's no less passionate, but it's certainly different.

“My primary aim is making sure that McLaren's story gets told. It's our 60th anniversary year, so a lot of …the focus has been on been about telling our story, being the second most successful team in Formula One.

“In terms of audience, we've got to think about what we're doing for the avid fan, but also what we're doing for the trend fan. Talking to Zak Brown, the CEO, we were both very keen to get McLaren into places where you might not necessarily expect to see them.

“Lifestyle, tech media, somewhere where we felt we could really make a difference. That includes places like the Financial Times, Wall Street Journal and working more closely with titles like the New York Times and Washington Post. That's one of the initial pieces of work that we're trying to do in my first year here.”

Steve is clear that McLaren want to stand out, with huge interest growing in its eSports team, as he explained: “We’ve been doing our racing here on site, in our shadow McLaren studio. Next season, we will be going back to live events in cities in and around the race series, and that is a great opportunity for eSports and race fans to get back to seeing these things live, which is really quite exciting. It's another way of connecting with our fan base, providing another offering.”

What has struck Steve, though, is the difference in focus from media between motor sport and football on the technical aspects of the sport as opposed to the personalities, with crisis communications having very different focus.

He said: “For each rate series we will have a crisis communications plan and the main philosophy behind that won't change for each race. My experience in motor racing so far, and certainly Formula One, is that it is not as personality driven as I thought it might be. It is certainly very technical and the interest from the media is much more on cars, performance upgrades and results and much less so on personality.

“There are so many more crises in football because it's personality. The football media, bless them, love them, but they did seem merely to exist sometimes to drive a wedge between a player and his coach, the coach and the board, the board and the fans, the coach and the fans. Therefore you always faced with some level of crisis.

“The motor racing media are not interested in causing those kinds of cracks and schisms. They are more interested in performance and why you're not performing. It's a very different media pack here, which lends itself to less crises of a personal nature and a personal nature.”

Steve’s talent and adaptability have seen him navigate some of the most challenging scenarios in domestic and international communications.

It will be fascinating to see his successful approach bear fruit at McLaren Racing over the next few years as the team compete for more podium placings.

To watch the video of this interview, please click HERE

Thanks to Fran Campbell for her help in arranging this interview

#Jose Mourinho #Chelsea FC #Steve Atkins #McLaren #Formula One #Champions League #Premier League

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calacuspr · 7 months

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Calacus Monthly Hit & Miss – Karen Carney & Jordan Henderson

Every month we look at the best and worst communicators in the sports world from the last few weeks.

HIT - KAREN CARNEY

Eyebrows may have been raised when Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries appointed former England international Karen Carney as Chair of the Future of Women's Football Review for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport in September 2022.

Since retiring from playing in 2019, Carney had quickly established herself as a prominent voice in both the men’s and women’s game through her excellent punditry work for the likes of Sky Sports and ITV.

At the same time, while she had impressed with her knowledge and passion for the game on television, Carney had never previously entered the political realm.

Although she had been awarded an MBE for services to football in the New Year’s Honours List of 2017, Carney was, and still is, a very different figurehead to Tracey Crouch, the Member of Parliament who was the vanguard of the fan-led review into English football which was published in November 2021 after the European Super League debacle, for example.

In September, Carney was invited to participate at the UEFA Football Board in Geneva to discuss the challenges and opportunities for the women’s game across the whole of Europe.

So, how had the former Lioness so successfully transitioned from commentator to campaigner?

The answer is simple: clear, consistent and honest communication.

Though she lacked hands-on political experience before taking on this role, Carney was certainly no stranger to public scrutiny.

She had taken the decision to deactivate her Twitter account in December 2020 after the official Leeds United FC account instigated a ‘pile-on’ of sexist abuse in response to Carney’s wholly reasonable assessment that the Covid-19 pandemic had actually helped Leeds to regroup and secure promotion from the Championship the previous season, while she was working on Amazon Prime’s coverage of the Premier League

In addition, less than three weeks before her leadership of the review was announced, Carney inadvertently found herself embroiled in another sexism storm as she was sitting alongside Liverpool legend Graeme Souness when he described football as a “man’s game” live on Sky Sports in the post-match analysis of a fixture between Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur.

These personal experiences left Carney in no doubt of the gravity of the challenge that she faced. In fact, from the very beginning, she publicly admitted that she had questioned whether she was the right person to be at the forefront of the review.

But, in taking on the challenge, her commitment to making it a success was immediately evident for all to see.

Her insistence that the review would “leave no stone unturned” set a clear precedent for the task at hand.

“I want the women’s game to be the best,” Carney stated in February. “I don’t want to put a label on where it could be. A lot of people have told me: ‘Don’t settle. Don’t settle, keep pushing.’”

Her passion and ambition was undeniable, and she combined this with the views of a panel of experts, including former Lionesses head coach Hope Powell and former men’s international Ian Wright, to assist her in the research at both the elite and grassroots level of the English game.

This bottom-up approach broadened the reach of the review. At a time when the women’s national team were making headline after headline, there remained significant issues in terms of facilities and accessibility further down the pyramid.

Carney herself highlighted this issue at the time of the publication of the report in July. She wrote an article in The Guardian newspaper suggesting that the women’s game was akin to “Instagram vs reality” when you scratch beneath the top level.

A clear example of this disparity came earlier in the year when Lewes FC faced Manchester United in their first-ever FA Cup Quarter-Final. The Women’s Championship club wrote an open letter to Carney ahead of the tie, calling for her to recommend the equalisation of the FA Cup prize fund between men and women.

The letter read: “Our progress in this season’s FA Cup has earned us £45,000 in prize money, incomparable to the £450,000 our male counterparts would have earned… Therefore, we ask that your recommendations address the gender inequality in English football’s greatest prize.”

Carney’s ‘Raising the Bar’ review was published a week before the start of the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, which highlighted the potential of the women’s game to be a “billion-pound industry.”

A key suggestion was also that the men’s FA Cup prize money should be redirected to the women’s teams, showing that Carney was not just talking a good game, but listening to the opinions of stakeholders and implementing them into her recommendations.

Carney told Sky Sports: “Players in the [second-tier] Championship are still on £5,000 and working three or four jobs – so when you play quality opposition the level of competitiveness isn’t there.

“The minimum standards, the facilities are not good enough,” she continued. “Female players are being treated as second-class citizens. That’s not my opinion, that what was told for me throughout this whole review.

“So there’s still some real big foundations that we need to fix. The Lionesses in the top part of the pyramid is thriving but the pipeline, the academy deficit, it’s 88 million [£] for boys, 3.25 [£ million] for girls.”

Carney’s messaging throughout the past 12 months has been grounded and relatable whilst remaining ambitious about the positive impact that her findings could have on the development of women’s football, culminating in a comprehensive and poignant 128-page report that has been greeted with widespread praise.

Senior organisations like the Football Association and the Football Supporters’ Association immediately welcomed the findings of the review.

Maheta Molango, CEO of the Professional Footballers’ Association, described the review as “a brave, ambitious and detailed plan for the future of the women’s game.”

The Guardian columnist and women’s football author Suzanne Wrack noted the “sharp and thorough” nature of the review and insisted that it must not be ignored.

The clarity of the ten strategic recommendations makes it difficult to believe that Carney’s efforts can be ignored by senior sports executives and politicians alike.

Her invitation to speak with UEFA is hopefully proof that this is just the first step towards improving the women’s game both at home and abroad.

At the Football Board in Geneva, Carney said: “Everything is moving really fast but we have to build the sport on a solid foundation. Today has been getting people together to understand that there are so many countries and everyone is at different parts in their evolution of women’s football, so to understand and hear everyone’s side is really important because we all want the same thing.”

Again, her message remains the same. Great strides forward have been taken, but the authorities are not in a position to pat themselves on the back or rest on their laurels.

“Everyone’s got a responsibility,” Carney stressed after the review was published. “Government do, clubs do, sponsors. Everyone has a responsibility to help with the investment of the women’s game.”

The timing of the review’s findings is apt. English women’s football finds itself at a decisive juncture with the current broadcast agreement between the Women’s Super League (WSL) and the BBC and Sky expiring at the end of the 2023/24 season.

A new deal will need to be struck, and with financial investment being so fundamental to enacting the changes that Carney has recommended, to continue the growth of the women’s game it is essential that the WSL latches onto the tide of positivity and popularity created by the success of the Lionesses in recent times.

Despite all of her success thus far, Carney certainly isn’t preparing to slow down her efforts now.

MISS – JORDAN HENDERSON

It’s a sad fact of professional football that not a single Premier League player has come out as gay or a member of the LGBTQ+ community

Not since former Nottingham Forest striker Justin Fashanu came out in 1990, before tragically taking his life at the age of just 37, has a top-flight professional player in England felt comfortable enough to do the same.

And with the current state of the game, is that at all surprising?

It’s almost two years since Josh Cavallo came out in Australia, facing abuse for his sexuality on a sadly regular basis.

Meanwhile, FIFA, despite its claims of promoting the world’s game, chose to stage the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where homosexuality is illegal and punishable by up to three years in prison.

A report from Human Rights Watch documented cases of Qatari security forces arbitrarily arresting LGBTQ+ people and subjecting them to “ill-treatment in detention.”

The Premier League has promoted sexual diversity with its annual Rainbow Laces campaign in collaboration with Stonewall to highlight the importance of inclusivity and understanding in society.

In Jordan Henderson, an England international and former captain of Liverpool, the LGBTQ+ community thought they had a high profile ally, who was regularly vocal about his support for Rainbow Laces.

“This campaign is important if there are still supporters out there who don’t feel they can be themselves or, even worse, have to hide who they are for fear of getting abuse or being discriminated against.

“I’m a parent, a husband, a son and a brother and the idea that anyone I love and care about wouldn’t feel safe or comfortable coming to watch me play if they were part of the LGBT community makes me wonder what world we live in,” he said in an interview with The Athletic from 2019.

“As long as even one supporter questions whether they are welcome or can enjoy football because of their sexuality, the campaign is important. It sends the message: you are welcome, we are on your side and the small minded idiots who make you feel uncomfortable have no place in football. Simple as that.

“In this day and age that anyone would make another person feel uncomfortable or unwelcome because of their sexuality is mind-blowing. I can’t get my head round it … this is a place for everyone and it’s up to all of us — players and supporters alike — to get that message across as powerfully and as often as we can.”

In his Liverpool FC matchday programme notes back in November 2021, Henderson reinforced the same message. He wrote: “Before I’m a footballer, I’m a parent, a husband, a son, a brother and a friend to the people in my life who matter so much to me. The idea that any of them would feel excluded from playing or attending a football match, simply for being and identifying as who they are, blows my mind.

“The idea they’d have to hide from it to be accepted? But that’s exactly how too many members of the LGBT+ community feel. We know this because they tell us. So we should listen, support them and work to make it better.

“I don’t feel worthy of being classed as an ally on this subject, but I am incredibly proud to be regarded as one. Improving knowledge and understanding is important.

That’s why the Rainbow Laces campaign is important – not least on our club’s own Community Day – because it gives space for those who do have a proper understanding to help us all learn.”

So, even with the Saudi Pro League, backed by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, signing up high profile players on big wages over the summer, it still came as a shock when news broke that Henderson was set to agree a move to Al-Ettifaq for a reported £700,000 per week.

Liverpool’s LGBTQ+ fan group Kop Outs released a statement in response to the potential transfer, saying that they hoped that Henderson would “prove to be a man of his word”.

In a thread shared to social media the group said: “Kop Outs have valued the allyship shown by Jordan Henderson.

“We are appalled and concerned that anyone might consider working for a sportswashing operation for a regime where women & LGBT+ people are oppressed and that regularly tops the world death sentence table.

“When someone’s made a fortune, should money tempt them to go to work? Maybe they should be asking themselves those questions.

“We hope that Jordan Henderson proves to be a man of his word and stays true to the values of our club, which so far he has been an absolute embodiment of.”

It isn’t difficult to conclude that the Saudi Pro League is sportswashing, a political project to garner some respectability in the shadow of lamentable human rights and intolerance.

By agreeing the move, Henderson went from being considered an honourable and decent sportsman to just another mercenary selling his soul for riches.

In the announcement video, the club made no attempt to disguise the cultural discrimination, censoring his rainbow armband during a montage of his career highlights.

Stonewall’s director of external affairs Robbie de Santos hopes the attention the move has attracted will help shine further light on Saudi Arabia: “I was shocked but not surprised at such blatant erasure of the LGBTQ+ community through that and it shines a light on just how systematic the Saudi authorities and the prevailing culture is, eliminating and eradicating the visibility of our community there.

"We can’t deny the reality of lives for the LGBTQ+ community in Saudi Arabia, and we hope that Henderson continues his work to build towards a world where sport is everybody's game."

No wonder former Aston Villa midfielder Thomas Hitzlsperger tweeted his shock at Henderson’s move to the Middle East: "So Jordan Henderson finally gets his move to Saudi Arabia.

"Fair play to him, he can play wherever he wants to play. Curious to know though how the new brand JH will look like. The old one is dead!

"I did believe for a while that his support for the LGBT+ community would be genuine. Silly me…”

Henderson’s hypocrisy in moving to Saudi Arabia has undone all the great work he had previously done as an LGBTQ+ ally, and the lack of comment for some weeks gave rise to more assumptions that he had sold his soul for the money.

In a tweet ahead of joining the England squad for their September internationals, Henderson said: “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the hospitality of the hosts, the enthusiasm of the fans, the exciting league and the irreplaceable sense of victory. Next is better Great win, looking forward to meeting up with the boys now.” It’s hard to imagine that he wrote what felt like a propaganda post by himself.

When Henderson was called up by England coach Gareth Southgate, Joe White, the co-chair of Pride in Football and founder of Three Lions Pride, believes Henderson will be shunned by some fans.

“I don’t think it will go hostile because ultimately we want England to do as well as possible but I do think that, say he came on as a substitute, where before there would be a lot of cheering, particularly from our group at Three Lions Pride, I think there will just be silence now .

“It may well be that there comes a joint message from the LGBT fans in the stadium who may well turn their backs on him coming onto the pitch in the same way he turned his back on us by going to Saudi.

“I don’t think he can regain the trust purely because he’s now living in a country where it’s illegal to be LGBT, where the local LGBT community have to hide and live in fear of arrest, of state-sanctioned abuse.”

In early September, Henderson finally spoke out in a wide-ranging interview with The Athletic which was full of contradictions and fanciful comments that made a mockery of his reputation as a wise head on young shoulders.

He recalled a visit in Qatar - undoubtedly sanitised for the sake of the players - which saw him question the concerns about human rights he had previously been concerned about.

He said: “We had a meeting with the FA about human rights, about the issues around the stadiums. I think it might have been Amnesty who had sent the images and stuff. And then, half an hour later, I go into a press conference or some media and I’ve commented on that situation.

“I was like, ‘Well, it was quite shocking and horrendous”’ and that was quite hard for us to see. But then when I went to Qatar and we had the experience we had at the World Cup, you get to meet the workers there and it was totally different.”

Perhaps Stonewall’s de Santos will see his wishes granted if Henderson’s comments can be taken at face value.

Henderson revealed that he was prepared for a backlash: “I can understand the frustration. I can understand the anger. I get it. All I can say around that is that I’m sorry that they feel like that. My intention was never, ever to hurt anyone. My intention has always been to help causes and communities where I felt like they have asked for my help.

"I do care about different causes that I've been involved in, and different communities… I do care. And for people to criticise and say that I'd turned my back on them really, really hurt me.

"All I can say is that I apologise, I'm sorry that I've made them feel that way. But I haven't changed as a person.

"I've gone above and beyond to help [the LGBTQ+ community]. I've worn the laces. I've worn the armband. I've spoken to people in that community to try to use my profile to help them. That's all I've ever tried to do.

"When I hear stuff like, 'You've turned your back on us', that hurts me. I do care. I have family and friends in the LGBTQ+ community."

“When I was making the decision, the way that I tried to look at it was I felt as though, by myself not going, we can all bury our heads in the sand and criticise different cultures and different countries from afar. But then nothing’s going to happen. Nothing’s going to change.”

He goes on in the interview to admit that he would consider wearing the rainbow laces in Saudi, although he then hints that it wouldn’t be appropriate: “I wouldn’t rule that [wearing rainbow laces] out. But at the same time, what I wouldn’t do is disrespect the religion and culture in Saudi Arabia,” he said.

“If we’re all saying everybody can be who they want to be and everybody is inclusive, then we’ll have to respect that. We’ll have to respect everyone. And by doing something like that, if that did disrespect the religion, then no, I’m not going to do that. But if the opportunity comes where I can do it and it doesn’t, then yeah, because that’s my values.”

We could be waiting a long time, one suspects, with his interview dismissed by Kop Outs founder Paul Amann, who said: “I was very surprised that he thinks he can take the ‘oh sorry if people feel that way’ sort of approach. It doesn’t feel like any genuine sense of an apology.

“It almost speaks of a white saviour complex for Henderson to think that he’s going to be the individual that will result in change for that regime.

“His contribution as a player is untouchable. He’s captained Liverpool to everything that could be won. His behaviour as a human being is that’s the thing that has been trashed. I would not be happy to celebrate his legacy personally and I don’t think many Kop Outs would be happy because of what he’s done.”

There is often a debate about why high profile sports people are seen as role models and that they should not be held to the same standards as politicians, for instance.

But that misses the point, especially with the influence and platform that elite sports people have to reach, in many cases, far bigger audiences, avoiding the opportunity really stand up for the cause.

By positioning himself as an ally of the LGBTQ+ community, Henderson had a responsibility to maintain that solidarity, both for his own reputation but more importantly for those affected by causes that athletes like Henderson have chosen to support.

The abandonment of his supposed principles has not just damaged Henderson’s reputation, but has also broken down the trust of the community in the support from other players, with everyone now conditioned to expect that player support will be taken away if it no longer becomes suitable or convenient for them.

Henderson still has an opportunity to right this wrong, and any public support of the LGBTQ+ community now has the potential to be even more powerful given that he would be doing it from Saudi Arabia.

Based on his recent messaging, however, it feels hard to believe that will ever happen.

#Karen Carney #Jordan Henderson #Saudi Arabia #WSL #FAWSL #UEFA #LGBTQ+#Women's soccer #women's football #Sky Sports #UK Government #Steven Gerrard #Hope Powell #Ian Wright #Pundit

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calacuspr · 8 months

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Calacus Monthly Hit & Miss – The Spanish Women’s National Team and the RFEF

Every month we look at the best and worst communicators in the sports world from the last few weeks.

The 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup saw the Spanish national team deservedly lift the trophy for the first time after defeating England’s Lionesses by a single goal in the final at Stadium Australia in Sydney.

The end of the tournament also offered a moment, at last, to pause and reflect on a breathless month of raw emotions, technical brilliance and numerous shattered records.

Despite all of the quality, though, there still remained something of a sour taste in the mouth given the adversity to which so many of the women’s players were subjected.

In the face of this, the players repeatedly proved that they were unafraid to stand up for what they believe is right.

This was typified months before the tournament had even begun, when a player-led campaign successfully removed Visit Saudi as a sponsor for the 2023 World Cup.

During the tournament, we saw the struggles of the Nigerian team, who were one of a number of competing nations that were locked in a pay dispute with their own federation.

Former England striker Ian Wright weighed in on Twitter to show his total support for the Nigerian players after their superb and surprise victory over co-hosts Australia.

Meanwhile, England goalkeeper Mary Earps regularly criticised Nike’s decision not to sell her jersey, despite her being one of the stars of the World Cup.

There were also rumblings of discontent about the reported pay disparity between Lionesses coach Sarina Wiegman and her male counterpart, Gareth Southgate, even though Wiegman has had a far better record in the role.

All of this came in the context of a vast gap in prize money offered by FIFA between this Women’s World Cup and the men’s 2022 edition in Qatar.

Tactics, performances and professionalism had clearly taken great strides forward. At the same time, in the fight for equal conditions, it still felt like there is a long way to go.

The plight of the women’s players was summarised aptly by iconic USWNT star Megan Rapinoe in an interview with The Atlantic. She explained that female players are constantly “playing two games at the same time” – off the pitch as well as on the pitch.

Never could this have been more apparent than in the case of the eventual champions Spain.

The Spanish team came into the tournament already under a cloud.

At the back end of 2022, a group of 15 first-team players had sent identical emails to the Spanish football federation (RFEF) requesting the removal of Jorge Vilda as manager.

The exact reasons have still not been specified, although it is understood that the players had issues with Vilda in terms of his personal behaviour as well as his tactical shortcomings.

In response, the RFEF doubled down and backed their man, declaring that the 15 players had been “poorly advised” and threatened bans of up to five years.

The mutinous players, dubbed “Las 15,” were cast aside and Vilda was given the ultimate vote of confidence to continue in his work.

Prior to the World Cup, Vilda recalled just three of the 15: Aitana Bonmatí, Mariona Caldentey and Ona Batlle.

"The RFEF has always been open to dialogue. The conflict is practically resolved, a few details would remain. We would be delighted if that were the case, but we look at the players who are committed and have shown their commitment," Vilda said after confirming his World Cup squad.

The rest of the 15, including many FC Barcelona Femení stars who had just won the UEFA Women’s Champions League, were excluded.

Accordingly, the ignored rebels treated the tournament in a similar manner, going through their individual summers with absolutely zero acknowledgement of any international football event which might be taking place.

Whether it is considered petty and disrespectful or brave and honourable, what this stance certainly has done is exemplify the glaring political divide within Spanish women’s football.

In spite of this internal turmoil, the selected Spanish players displayed miraculous resolve to concentrate on the sport during the World Cup.

There were glimpses of the bitterness between the players and Vilda throughout their run to the final; most notably when two-time Ballon d’Or winner Alexia Putellas blatantly blanked Vilda as she was substituted in the semi-final against Sweden.

When Spain arrived to face England in the final, the capacity crowd in Sydney showed whose side they were on as a chorus of boos greeted the announcement of Vilda’s name.

In the final itself, Spain were fabulous and a superbly-taken goal from captain Olga Carmona was enough to win the game. After the match had ended, Carmona discovered that her father had passed away earlier that same day.

Nonetheless, the 23-year-old captain still appeared at the homecoming party in Madrid only days later to greet the rapturous crowd and deliver a beautifully touching speech describing her incredible range of emotions.

Back in Australia, the separate groups of celebrations at the full-time whistle illustrated the distinct dissociation between players and staff.

For the trophy presentation, the RFEF president, Luis Rubiales, ensured that he was going to be front and centre.

Whereas earlier in the year, the FC Barcelona Femení players had to collect their own medals after winning the Spanish Super Cup, this time the RFEF leader piggybacked onto the success of the women’s team to put himself firmly in the headlines.

Firstly, Rubiales was caught on camera making an obscene gesture with his groin in the stands right beside Queen Letizia of Spain and her 16-year-old daughter.

On the podium, Rubiales, having already unnecessarily hugged, touched the face and kissed the cheek of various English and Spanish players, abused his position of power one time too many as he planted a kiss on the lips of Spanish attacker Jenni Hermoso.

Suddenly, even in their crowning moment, a time that should have been nothing but euphoria for each and every member of the squad, the achievement of the players had become overshadowed by the ugly actions of this man.

Rather than swiftly dealing with their president, the RFEF was busy not reading the room and tweeting “Vilda In,” a tweet that was met with a mix of anger and despondency – described politely as a disheartening statement, and candidly as a disgrace.

When it was finally time for Rubiales to face the music, he vociferously swatted away any criticism of his actions. Speaking to Spanish broadcaster COPE, he referred to the people who were unhappy with his actions as “idiots” and “stupid people.”

“It was a kiss between two friends celebrating something,” Rubiales said dismissively. “Let’s ignore them [the critics] and enjoy the good things.”

Within a day, however, Rubiales had performed a sudden volte-face and was releasing a video online with a half-baked apology.

In a short address to camera, Rubiales stated: “I was surely wrong, I have to admit it, because at a moment of maximum effusiveness, without any bad intentions, without any bad faith, well, what happened happened.

“We didn’t understand [the controversy] because we saw it as something natural, normal,” he added. “But outside it seems that a commotion has formed, and of course if there are people who have felt damaged by this, I have to apologise, I have no other choice.”

It was evident from his words that Rubiales couldn’t see what he had done wrong.

Shortly afterwards, despite saying “I didn’t like it [the kiss], but what do I do?” in an Instagram live video from the changing room after the incident, it seemed that Hermoso had also performed a U-turn when a statement attributed to her was released.

"It was a mutual gesture, totally spontaneous because of the immense joy that comes from winning a World Cup," read the statement provided by the RFEF.

“The president and I have a great relationship, his behaviour with all of us has been top notch,” it continued. “A gesture of friendship and gratitude cannot be given any more thought. We have won a World Cup and we are not going to deviate from what is important.”

Astonishingly, it subsequently emerged that the ‘Hermoso statement’ had been fabricated by the RFEF.

Rubiales was alleged to have unsuccessfully pleaded with Hermoso to defend him in a joint statement. Vilda then approached her family on three occasions, desperate for Hermoso to appear alongside Rubiales in the apology video.

Having remained silent for as long as she could, Hermoso finally spoke out four days after the final and two days after the false statement had been released, as she released her own joint statement with FUTPRO.

Hermoso said: "We express our firm and resounding condemnation of conduct that violates the dignity of women.

"From our association, we ask the Royal Spanish Football Federation to implement the necessary protocols, ensure the rights of our players and adopt exemplary measures.

"It is essential that our national team, current world champion, is always represented by figures that project values of equality and respect in all areas.”

If Rubiales’ position didn’t already appear untenable, the statement from Hermoso triggered numerous senior voices, in the world of both sport and politics, to call for his resignation.

Beatriz Álvarez Mesa, the president of Liga F (the top tier of Spanish women’s football), wrote an open letter to the government attacking Rubiales. Her comment that "the person that many of us know in private has been unveiled publicly" was utterly damning.

The Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, described Rubiales’ gesture as “unacceptable” and said that his “apologies are not enough.” At the same time, the Minister for Equality, Irene Montero, labelled the actions as “a form of sexual violence that women suffer on a daily basis.”

Tamara Ramos, a former employee of the Spanish players’ association and colleague of Rubiales, then spoke out about past humiliating treatment at the hands of the president.

In response to Ramos, the RFEF condemned the allegations and announced that they would sue her for the false allegations.

The stubborn, defensive approach of the federation was then superseded by Rubiales when a press conference was called for the following Friday morning, where it was widely expected that he would announce his resignation.

However, in a turn of events that was as jaw-dropping as it was depressing, Rubiales took to the stage to defiantly repeat that he would not resign. He went on to describe “false feminism” as “one of the scourges of this country” and placed himself as the victim of a witch hunt.

Worryingly, his comments received an outburst of applause by much of the audience, including from Vilda and Luis de la Fuente, the Spanish men’s team manager.

Immediately after this speech, a catalogue of prominent women’s players condemned Rubiales and spoke out in support of Hermoso.

Amongst others, Leah Williamson and Beth Mead nailed the Lionesses’ colours to the mast. Alex Morgan followed suit for the USWNT.

“This is unacceptable. It's over. With you partner @Jennihermoso” was the simple but powerful message posted by Putellas.

Bonmatí similarly tweeted: “There are limits that cannot be crossed and we cannot tolerate this. We are with you mate.”

The situation was perhaps best summed up by Dutch player, Merel van Dongen, who used the president of FIFA’s recent words against him.

Her post read: “Like the great great Infantino once said: ‘Women pick the right fights!’ Oooohh how the Spanish women are picking this fight. Proud to see how women, men, media and politics in Spain finally unite to change something that hasn’t been right for years. Se acabó. It’s time for justice.”

Although van Dongen mentioned men, there was a conspicuously smaller number of male players who publicly backed Hermoso.

Borja Iglesias ruled himself out of national team selection, Hector Bellerin vented his frustration via his Instagram story, and Barcelona captain Sergi Roberto quoted Putellas on Twitter to show support. Legendary Spanish goalkeepers David de Gea and Iker Casillas also denounced the “embarrassment” of Rubiales.

Unfortunately though, the majority of men’s players, both past and present, have remained silent on the issue, suggesting a significant sociopolitical divide between male and female players.

Top Spanish clubs then united behind the calls for Rubiales’ resignation, starting with Cadiz, then Getafe, Real Sociedad and Atletico Madrid, who hopped onboard the bandwagon, before eventually both Real Madrid and Barcelona joined them.

Hermoso herself responded to the press conference, confirming via her Twitter that the kiss was not “consensual”.

Her teammates then launched a boycott of the national team. A total of 81 players – including the entire World Cup winning squad – co-signed a letter saying they will not be available for international selection until the “federation leadership is removed.”

The weekend that followed the explosive press conference provided almost non-stop new developments.

Many journalists attributed Rubiales’ attitude as being symptomatic of a long-standing issue within the system of Spanish football governance.

This idea was further enforced when details of complaints against Rubiales going back as far as 2016 surfaced, as well as a disturbing video of disgraced former national team manager, Ignacio Quereda, intimidating and physically assaulting Spanish players.

Wary of the unprecedented damage that this drama was doing to their national reputation, the Spanish government opened up proceedings against Rubiales to get him forcibly removed from his post via tribunal.

Rubiales was then provisionally suspended from all football activity by FIFA.

Yet still, the RFEF circled around their man and threatened to take legal action against Hermoso for her “lies”, releasing their own breakdown of the kiss, claiming that Hermoso had initiated it.

The video evidence of Rubiales picking up numerous other Spanish players before Hermoso strongly opposes this allegation.

In addition, the RFEF general secretary wrote to UEFA to request to withdraw Spanish clubs from European competition due to government involvement breaking UEFA impartiality protocols.

UEFA have chosen not to respond to the RFEF request, nor make any comment on the situation surrounding their vice-president, raising questions about their values and vested interests.

Sometimes, no communication can be just as detrimental as poor communication.

A mass resignation of the Spanish coaching staff then left just Villa still in situ, but his position was hardly stable.

Misa Rodriguez, a member of Vilda’s World Cup winning squad, demanded his removal before the players could consider a return.

As eminent voices in world football, such as Lise Klaveness of Norway, continued to throw their support behind Hermoso, the people of Spain took to the streets in protest against the RFEF president.

The issue went as far as the UN Human Rights office, who said that the public stance on the kiss could be “a turning point” in terms of sexism and misogyny.

Perhaps the most bizarre part of the story came from Rubiales’ hometown of Motril, where his mother, Angeles Bejar, locked herself into a Church saying she would go on hunger strike in an attempt to end the “inhuman, bloodthirsty witch hunt” of her son. Bejar has since been hospitalised and discharged.

Eventually, more than a week after the World Cup final incident, the RFEF released an official statement requesting Rubiales to resign.

As it stands, Rubiales remains in post although how much longer he will stay there is anyone’s guess.

The saga has been widely reported as a ‘Me Too’ moment for Spanish society. The hashtag “#SeAcabó” (“It’s Over”) has trended on social media and has become the slogan for an end to gender inequality across the country.

In this way, weirdly, the actions of Rubiales could prove beneficial.

A textbook response when an individual or organisation does something wrong, either deliberately or by mistake, is to acknowledge what has happened, apologise and then commit to fix it.

On this occasion, even in his bumbled apology video, it was clear that Rubiales did not truly acknowledge what he had done wrong – the actions of the president and his organisation since has confirmed this.

Instead, the lack of self-reflection and understanding has caused this story to become one of the great communications own goals in living memory.

As such, perversely, it may just be the catalyst to push forward a long overdue culture clean-up.

The words and actions of Rubiales have shone a light on a deeply entrenched problem within Spanish football, a problem that former national team member Veró Boquete says players have “been living and suffering for a long time.”

Even though UEFA have attempted to avoid the matter, at their own grand ceremony in Monaco at the end of the month, England boss Wiegman delivered a passionate speech, dedicating her Women’s Coach of the Year award to the Spanish players.

“We all know the issues around the Spanish team,” said Wiegman, stood alongside UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin. “It really hurts me, as a coach, as a mother of two daughters, as a wife and as a human being.

“The game has grown so much, but there’s also still a long way to go in women’s football and in society,” she continued. “This team [Spain] deserves to be celebrated and deserves to be listened to.”

In complete juxtaposition to Rubiales and the RFEF, the communication of Wiegman, the Spanish players, and the many others who have supported them, has been simple, concise and devastatingly effective.

Rubiales appeared to have cemented himself into a position of untouchable authority within Spanish football, but the force of the united messaging by those in opposition to him has completely shattered that misconception.

Now, as the RFEF continue to dig themselves deeper into a crisis by watering down the long overdue statement of the Spanish men’s team, demonstrating yet again that their primary focus is to protect their president rather than the interests of those who they are supposed to represent, it almost matters not whether Rubiales leaves of his own accord, or is fired, as the patriarchy of the Spanish football federation has been exposed – and surely there is no turning back.

As Wiegman, Boquete and so many others have plainly stated: “It’s over.”

#spain #spanish #football #rubiales #hermoso #seacabo #seacabó #womensworldcup #Jorge Vilda #Luis Rubiales #jenni hermoso #Spain #Spanish football #Spanish Federation #RFEF #rfef

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calacuspr · 8 months

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The i – Mason Greenwood will never salvage football career in Europe due to fan and sponsor backlash, says PR expert

The ex-England striker is rumoured to be in talks to sign a lucrative deal with a team in Saudi Arabia after it was confirmed he would be leaving Manchester United

Mason Greenwood is unlikely to be able to secure a contract at a top UK or European football club, but could still earn millions if he moved further afield, according to a sports PR specialist.

On Monday it was confirmed that the 21-year-old would leave Manchester United one-and-a-half years after he was first suspended after being arrested and later charged with attempted rape, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and controlling and coercive behaviour.

The criminal charges against Mr Greenwood were dropped in February with prosecutors citing “withdrawal of key witnesses and new material that came to light”.

After an internal investigation, it first looked like Manchester United were planning to reinstate the player, before confirming on Monday that he would be leaving by “mutual agreement”, in a dramatic U-turn.

Rumours have circulated as to where Mr Greenwood could move to next, with reports suggesting he is being eyed by ex-United boss Jose Mourinho, who now manages Italian club Roma, as well as teams in Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

David Alexander, director at sports agency Calacus, told i that the former England striker would be unlikely to secure a return to English football without taking “full responsibility for the situation that he now faces”.

Mr Alexander added: “Greenwood needs to engage with domestic violence charities, commit to learning and teaching other young men about the lessons he learns, and do this consistently as a reminder that any form of coercive or abusive behaviour towards others is unacceptable.”

He said he would be “surprised” if Greenwood were able to secure a contract at a top-tier club in Europe.

“Signing him would immediately compromise relationships with sponsors and commercial partners whose customers and colleagues will rightly be concerned at the opportunity he is being afforded and the knock-on effects for their own reputations and bottom line.”

European clubs will also be concerned about “the message” they are sending to fans if they take Greenwood on, Mr Alexander said.

But European clubs are said to be among those considering making an offer for Greenwood – including Serie A side AS Roma and Turkish side Galatasaray.

To read the full article, please click HERE

#Mason Greenwood #Manchester United #domestic violence #Saudi Arabia #Jose Mourinho #Galatasaray

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calacuspr · 9 months

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TIMBERSPORTS® star Dee Hardwick a worthy role model for LGBTQ+ community

The beauty of STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® is the inclusive and collaborative community it engenders, alongside the dynamic and exciting nature of the competition.

The British Pro, Rookie and Women’s Championships took place at the Royal Three Counties Show in June, providing intense contest and entertainment for the watching crowds.

This fast-growing competition, which sees participants chop and saw wood against the clock, had its first British women’s event just last summer, 2022.

One of the most charismatic competitors is Dee Hardwick, who recorded personal bests in this year’s event and has set her sights on podium glory in future.

She explained: “I've played lots of different sports and loved a lot of them. This will be my 23rd year playing rugby and I've also played hockey, American football and done judo. You name it, I've played it. I'm a great believer in trying everything once.

“I was a medical rep for 10 years and I got furloughed during COVID. I was buying and selling chainsaws and flipping them and tinkering with them, just to keep myself sane.

“I just went on to the STIHL website for some bits and I saw an advert to come and try Timbersports. I'm a big strong girl and I thought hey, why don't I have a go at this? I went along to a trial day back in March 2022, and got selected for the programme. So, I've been doing it for just over a year now.

“Being big and strong is an advantage, but there's a lot of technique. Watching old videos of the first training day to now, it's just amazing how much the technique has changed. I loved it: it's very addictive.”

Last year's British Women’s STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® Championship saw a field of eight women taking part in three disciplines – the Stock Saw, the Single Buck and the Underhand Chop. Points are accumulated for the fastest times with the person with the most points after all disciplines being crowned the ultimate winner.

Watching Dee compete, it’s obvious that she is a performer, engaging the crowd and yet determined to do herself justice.

Last year’s Women’s Championship proved to be a special moment for Dee, as she recalled: “It was really humbling, actually. It's amazing because it's a little bit of history. I'm really for women doing sport and it was great to be part of an inaugural event.

“It was an amazing feeling being on the stage. I used to do Burlesque and a bit of stand up so being in front of a load of people wasn't that much of a worry for me and actually, I used it to feed off their energy.”

Camaraderie is unusual in high-level sport, but Dee has noted the bonds that have grown with her fellow competitors.

She added: “What's really unusual about Timbersports is that everyone is so friendly and everyone wants everyone to succeed.

“This is the first sport where there's no cliques. I've made some amazing friends from it and in fact, one of them is going to be my best woman at my wedding!”

As a gay woman, Dee is well aware of the responsibilities and barriers that occur in sport and the opportunity she has taken to be a role model for future athletes.

“I love pushing down boundaries. I love being out there and proving that, you know, you don't have to be a man to do this. It takes all shapes and sizes. Tall, short, fat, thin, gay, straight, it doesn't matter.

“It's a really welcoming community and it's just the most amazing workout as well. You are absolutely blowing by the time you've finished it.”

Dee is also proud to promote the LGBTQ+ cause and added: “I had my lucky socks on, which are a pair of rainbow striped rugby socks. It's nice to be unique, but it's not seen as an issue and it's not seen as a barrier. It's a great community and I would encourage anyone within their LBGTQ+ community to come and have a go.

“I still think it's really difficult for people to come out. Hopefully one day we won't have to have this conversation about who is LGBTQ+. But it's changed massively. Those perceptions are going and that's nice.”

Dee’s approach underlines the power of sport to teach valuable life lessons, building connections between communities and empowering those for whom sport can provide the confidence and the focus to allow them to thrive.

She added: “I'm just, Dee the ‘lumberjill.’ It's nice to be introducing a great sport to that part of the community.

“If someone says you can't do it, go out and do it twice, to prove it to them. If someone says no, you can't do that because you're a girl or because you're a boy, stick it to them. Go out, do it and show them that you can do it. If you enjoy it, go and do it. Do not let anyone tell you that you can't do something.”

After getting married, Dee will be back training and competing and has dreams of representing her country in international competition.

“I would love to be able to go abroad. It’s huge in America and Canada, and I'd love to be able to do that,” she said.

“Standing on top of the podium with an LGBTQ+ flag flying behind me would be absolutely amazing.”

STIHL TIMBERSPORTS® features six disciplines which you can find out about HERE and more information on tools used in TIMBERSPORTS® HERE.

#STIHL TIMBERSPORTS #women's sport #LGBTQ+#lumberjack sports #lumberjills #wood chopping

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