EPL: West Ham Investigate Racism Claims Surrounding Director Of Recruitment

West Ham have launched an investigation into the reported comments of their director of recruitment Tony Henry (Dominic Lipinski/PA)

West Ham have launched an investigation into claims their director of recruitment Tony Henry told agents that they do not want to sign any more African players.

West Ham United’s Director of Recruitment, Tony Henry

Daily Mail UK reports:

According to the Daily Mail, Henry said the Premier League club wanted to limit the number of African players because “they have a bad attitude” and “cause mayhem” when they are not in the team.

Henry, it was claimed, suggested it was a policy supported by club management – but insisted West Ham had “nothing against the African race at all”.

Press Association Sport sought a response from West Ham on Wednesday night, without success. However, in a statement given to the Daily Mail, the club said: “West Ham United is an inclusive, respectful and diverse football club. Equality is at the heart of our ethos and values.

“We were recently given the opportunity to demonstrate the extent of our firm commitment to these values, which are embedded throughout the club, with a view to achieving the intermediate level of the Premier League’s equality mark, recognized and supported by Kick it Out.

“We have worked extremely hard over the last 18 months across all areas of the club and we are confident in our achievements.

“All West Ham United employees are required to go on equality, diversity and unconscious-bias training as part of our new mandatory training and workforce plan.

“We take any allegations of discrimination extremely seriously and are now in the process of ascertaining the full facts behind this accusation.”

The newspaper reported that Henry sent an email on January 27 — in response to an inquiry about a footballer of Cameroonian descent — to another senior West Ham official and an agent.

In the email, Henry allegedly wrote: ‘We don’t want any more Africans and he’s not good enough.”

When asked by the Mail why that was the case, Henry reportedly highlighted “problems” with their former striker Diafra Sakho, who left West Ham to join French club Rennes on Monday.

“We find that when they (Africans) are not in the team they cause mayhem. It’s nothing against the African race at all.

“I mean, look, there are top African players. There’s not a problem with them. It’s just sometimes they cause a lot of problems when they are not playing, as we had with Diafra.

“He’s left, so great. It’s nothing personal at all.”

Asked then if he thought his comments amounted to a slight on African players, Henry apparently replied “no” and praised the efforts of West Ham’s Senegal midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate.