A senior director of the Football Association (FA) has been accused of bullying in a written complaint by a colleague.
Edleen John, the FA’s director of international relations, corporate affairs and co-partner for equality, diversity and inclusion, has been accused of bullying and intimidation on a number of occasions, although the letter is understood not to constitute a formal complaint.
The FA have offered advice to John, who is due to be part of the governing body’s delegation for next month’s World Cup draw in Qatar.
In a statement released to the Daily Mail, John stopped short of apologising for her behaviour but said it was never her intention to make colleagues feel intimidated.
“At the heart of who I am, I’m an activist and am direct in my communication style,” she wrote. “As a senior Black woman joining the football industry in the middle of a pandemic, I am honoured that the FA empowered me to try to be a change agent.
“A challenge of driving change is that sometimes I have to be uncomfortably direct. I ask the questions that no one wants to ask. I have difficult conversations about topics that people haven’t engaged on for centuries and doing that can mean pushing boundaries and people.
“Have I ever wanted anyone to feel intimidated? Absolutely not.”
