Scudamore under increasing pressure

17 May 2014 05:46

The furore over sexist emails sent by Richard Scudamore has intensified with a number of England women internationals calling for action against the Premier League chief executive.

England and Everton goalkeeper Rachel Brown-Finnis said the emails were an "insult to all women" and that Scudamore should be sanctioned, while former England captain Casey Stoney said his position was now "very difficult".

The group Women In Football has written to all 20 Premier League clubs and main sponsors asking for an "independent review" of the league's practices.

Stoney said in the Daily Telegraph: "We are trying to get to a world without discrimination and to have somebody in such a high position in football making derogatory comments about females is not acceptable.

"How would he feel if these comments were written about his daughters?

"It is up to the powers that be whether he stays on but talking about women in such a derogatory way makes his position very difficult. Whether it's a private email or not, he has written them and he has only apologised because he has been caught."

Brown-Finnis told BBC Sport: "It's not just about women who are involved in football, it was an insult to all women.

"However jokey he was trying to be with that, it's just totally unacceptable in this day and age.

"It's zero defence for me. Private emails when are you head of the Premier League don't really exist.

"Is a sorry enough? Probably not, but I do think the way to move forward is for the Premier League to follow their protocols just like they would with other employees and I'm sure they have policies which would sanction him appropriately for his misconduct."

Scudamore is also facing increasing pressure on his position after principal sponsor Barclays expressed disappointment to the league over the email exchange with a lawyer friend.

Edward Lord, an equality campaigner who is a member of the Football Association's Inclusion Advisory Board (IAB), has suggested Scudamore's position is "untenable".

The emails, which have been described by FA chairman Greg Dyke as "totally inappropriate", referred to women in a derogatory terms, contained sexual innuendoes, and made jokes about "female irrationality".

The league would not comment on Friday on the latest developments but the involvement of Barclays raises the stakes ahead of a meeting of the Premier League's audit and remuneration committee, chaired by Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck, on Monday to discuss the case, which will also be the subject of a special meeting of the IAB on Tuesday.

After the story broke in the Sunday Mirror, Scudamore issued a statement apologising for the emails, which were sent from his Premier League email account and seen by a former temporary PA who leaked them to the newspaper.

Source: PA