The Guardian view on women’s football: mind your language | Editorial

What a mess the Football Association has made. When the top scorer in the Women’s Super League was not picked for England’s Euro 2017 squad this summer, it looked like a familiar tale: a brilliant player and the manager, Mark Sampson, clash over differing styles. The result is sore egos and not much else. However, when allegations of racism and harassment surfaced, the disagreement appeared much more disturbing. What is bizarre is that this did not start off as a complaint but fell out of an official investigation into football’s sporting culture. The striker, Eni Aluko, who is also a qualified lawyer, had been asked to give her views and when she did so about management, her prospects dimmed. This looks terrible. The FA did investigate Ms Aluko’s claims and, after an independent inquiry, Mr Sampson was cleared and Ms Aluko paid £80,000, effectively silenced and sidelined. The FA chose not to comment on the story, relenting only after a day of media scrutiny. When it finally published the report into the affair, it revealed a fair amount of “industrial language” and frankly inappropriate comments. Being called “lazy as fuck” or a “pain in the arse” isn’t motivational. Men’s football has learned lessons the hard way; let’s hope the women’s game doesn’t have to.