Express & Star

West Midlands FA chief Martin Glenn apologises to Eni Aluko and Drew Spence over discriminatory comments made by former manager Mark Sampson

Martin Glenn has 'sincerely apologised' to Eni Aluko and Drew Spence after an independent report found former England women's manager Mark Sampson made remarks which were 'discriminatory on grounds of race'.

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Aldridge-born Glenn, who is a lifelong Wolves fan, is the Football Association's (FA) chief executive.

After independent barrister Katharine Newton concluded in her final report - published this afternoon - that Sampson was not racist, but that he twice made "ill-judged attempts at humour" towards the England pair, Glenn issued a statement apologising to Aluko and Spence.

The former St Francis of Assisi Comprehensive pupil said: "On behalf of the Football Association I would like to sincerely apologise to Eniola Aluko and Drew Spence.

"Based on new evidence submitted to independent barrister Katharine Newton, she has now found that they were both subject to discriminatory remarks made by an FA employee. This is not acceptable."

Glenn and the FA's technical director Dan Ashworth, who used to be West Brom's technical director, will appear before the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee in Westminster this afternoon.

Today's report by Ms Newton found no evidence to support allegations that Aluko was subjected to "a course of bullying and discriminatory conduct" by Sampson.

He was dramatically sacked last month after FA chiefs were alerted to what it termed an "inappropriate" relationship he had with a player in his previous job in 2013.

That followed weeks of speculation about his position after it emerged he had already been the subject of two FA investigations into allegations of discrimination by Chelsea striker Aluko.

Aluko claimed Sampson had told her to make sure her Nigerian relatives did not bring the Ebola virus to the friendly against Germany at Wembley in November 2014.

Sampson denied that claim, along with another allegation that he asked a mixed-race player - Spence - if she had been arrested before, and then jokingly suggested she had been arrested four times.