Tony Henry, the director of player recruitment for English soccer club West Ham United, is under scrutiny for expressing discriminatory statements about African players.
The Daily Mail on Wednesday published the contents of a leaked email in which Henry reportedly tells an agent and other West Ham executive that they don’t want any more African players. The email came in reply to an inquiry about a Cameroonian player.
“We don’t want any more Africans and he’s not good enough,” Henry said in the email, according to the Daily Mail. “I sent Thomas to watch him and the other lad last week and he said no. If Palace take them good luck.”
The Daily Mail reports that Henry told at least one agent last month that the club was not interested in any more African players. When confronted by the Daily Mail about the accusation, Henry claimed he was not racist despite saying African players can have a bad reason.
“Because we had three and we felt we didn’t particularly want any more African players. … It’s nothing racist at all. It’s just sometimes they can have a bad attitude.
“We had problems with Sakho, with Diafra Sakho. We find that when they 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.”
Henry went on to say that he finds trouble with Russians and Italian players too, which is further support that he is equally discriminatory.
The English club responded in a statement.
“West Ham United is an inclusive, respectful and diverse football club. Equality is at the heart of our ethos and values,” they told the Daily Mail.
West Ham is currently 12th in the Premier League standings through 25 games.
