Mark Sampson axed as patron of Women in Sport charity after being sacked as England manager

Former England Women manager sacked by Football Association following revelations of an unprofessional relationship

Mark Sampson has been removed as a patron of the Women in Sport charity (Getty Images)

Mark Sampson has been removed from his role as a patron of the Women in Sport charity following the Football Association’s decision to sack him as England manager following allegations of an unprofessional relationship.

Just one day after guiding England Women to a 6-0 victory over Russia in their opening 2019 World Cup qualifier, Sampson was sacked by the FA on Wednesday for inappropriate relationships with his female players during his previous spell as manager of Bristol Academy.

FA chief executive officer Martin Glenn made the decision after reading a 2015 safeguarding report into Sampson concerning his relationships with his players while at Bristol, where he ran the 16 to 19 programme and coached their women’s first team. The FA safeguarding panel decided in March that year that Sampson could continue to work in football, but when Glenn reviewed the report in detail he decided, along with the FA board, that Sampson had “overstepped the professional boundaries between player and coach”.

Following his sudden dismissal on Wednesday afternoon, the Women in Sport charity announced that they were reviewing Sampson’s position as a patron, with confirmation of his removal following soon after.

A statement issued by Women in Sport read: “Following today’s announcement by the Football Association, Women in Sport can confirm that Mark Sampson is no longer a patron of the Charity.

“The charity hopes that media attention will now return to the women’s football team performance on the pitch, and that women and girls up and down the country will continue to be inspired by the Lionesses’ World Cup campaign.”

The shock dismissal comes just weeks after Sampson was subjected to racism allegations, the first of which came from Chelsea and England striker Eniola Aluko. Sampson had been pursued by those accusations of racism and bullying all summer but his sacking was not directly connected to those incidents.

It came about after an anonymous tip-off last week from someone outside the organisation prompted the FA to re-examine the details in the safeguarding report into Sampson.

While the incident has further tarnished Sampson’s reputation, the FA have also left themselves open to intense criticism, having been made aware of the allegations as early as 2014. Glenn was informed about the safeguarding report in 2015 but decided not to ask for the full details out of respect for the confidentiality of those involved, yet he re-examined the case last week following the tip-off and informed both FA chairman Greg Clarke and the FA board, before reaching the decision to sack him.

Sports minister Tracey Crouch is one of those who criticised the FA’s handling of the matter, and with governing body due to attend a House of Commons hearing next month regarding how they dealt with the investigation into allegations of racism and bullying made against Sampson, the saga has come at the worst possible time.

Crouch said on Wednesday night: “This situation is a mess and raises very serious questions about whether the historic process that the FA had in place around the recruitment of coaches were appropriate, for something like this to have been missed.”

Damian Collins, chair of the digital, culture, media and sport select committee, added: “Today's revelations re Mark Sampson show yet again that the FA's system simply isn't working. An independent review is needed.

“A truly independent body, that whistleblowers within sport can go to with confidence, is needed.”