PREMIER LEAGUE chiefs have launched an investigation after being accused of racism by a former member of their diversity and inclusion team.
Kay Badu made the claims after working with the Prem on a consultancy basis last year.
Badu is said to have made senior staff members at the league aware of internal racial discrimination.
The Premier League have responded by hiring an independent barrister to investigate the matter.
In a statement published by the Mail, the Prem said: “Discrimination and prejudice have no place at the Premier League, or anywhere in football, and it is our priority to promote and protect equality, diversity and inclusion.
“After being made aware of certain recent allegations in the workplace, the Premier League launched an independent investigation into a number of the issues raised.
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“This process, which is already underway, is being carried out by an external specialist barrister, whose findings will be provided to the Premier League Board.
“The Premier League takes these matters extremely seriously and the investigation will be completed as soon as practically possible.
“The Premier League continues to make progress as part of the League’s No Room for Racism Action Plan and will act against all forms of discrimination to ensure football is inclusive and welcoming for all.”
England’s top flight have appointed a barrister from law firm Blackstone Chambers.
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Badu has recently posted about the Premier League on a number of occasions on his LinkedIn account.
He posted a poll on his account, asking if the statement “well I’m going to the clean part of Africa” is racist.
Badu also wrote: “They’re angry that I exposed the internal PL [Premier League] race problem.”
And he also posted: “It’s going to take a serious PR guru to try and spin this one, especially as you have a public facing campaign entitled No Room For Racism.
“To be clear, I and others have been subjected to racism at the Premier League. This is institutional racism not ignorance.
“This ordeal has taken a toll on my mental well-being. Racism slowly breaks you down. Racism takes away your dignity and your will to live.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
