What he said can be understood to mean make sure your parents don't bring the dirty disease over here or a disease from your country behind this clean place. Saying it to a black woman regarding a Black Country was more foot in mouth than intended racism but I'd be surprised if many people didnysay they'd wished they'd never said those specific words straight afterwards. Like I said, you're not going to hear it very often. If you did you may get reprimanded or spend many lunchtimes without many invites I would've thought.

Any man taking this job is a fool.

The things I've heard women say and.....nothing...Most men don't have huge chips on their shoulders.....Anyone with sense knows these are uneven and toxic situations.

The race card is played for maximum effect and advantage......and like was mentioned previously Karen Brady had a relationship with a player and....nothing.

Edited by Stirlingsays (19 Oct 2017 10.30am)

Perhaps because he didn't complain. The issue generally isn't people having relationships at work - its where they create problems at work.

I know you think the system is totally rigged against men, and to an extent it is, because historically they're the ones who have been the culprits in abusing their position at work and the primary cause of sexual harassment in the work place.

That said, when you sign up to a companies policy on work - you kind of are bound to maintain it. My guess would be that like most employers, they don't pursue cases based on what is reported to them, but where complaints are received.

Yeah, as a man you probably do have to be a bit more careful of what you say at work, and relationships you have, because you are more vulnerable, largely based on the history of problems that preceded you.

But it doesn't automatically entail that everyone is lying or manipulating situations to get to you either - To be held accountable, the balance of evidence has to be against you.

If you're the coach of a womans football team, you probably should be very careful about having sexual relationships with players - especially casual relationships.

I do kind of object to the idea that somehow the woman here is automatically in the wrong, because she's not thick skinned enough, can't take a joke or understand banter. The work place is a professional environment - you should be cautious about what you say on a personal level and you can be held accountable for people taking it 'the wrong way'.

That said, the FA seem to have taken this completely out of control of their own process and proceedings here - allowing to much specualation to form the basis of peoples opinions. These kind of things should be more open in terms of reporting, like other court cases.

Not intended but it could be understood to mean, to a black person from a Black Country, make sure your parents don't bring a dirty disease from that country. It's dodgy ground and has racial undertones.

I'd be surprised if someone said that kind of thing to a black African colleague they didn't know could take it and they weren't concerned afterwards it was taken in the same way she's saying.

No the hearing demonstrated that the statements were racist, though the barrister form the plaintiff clearly stated that Mark Sampson was not.

Its a court case its not about what people might have meant, or how it might have been said to someone who wasn't black, but what was said, to who and whether it contravenes the FA tribunal rules, or rulings relating to race that supersede them in authority.

Something said as a joke, is only mitigation of damages / sentencing. You are responsible for what you said, to whomever, if it contravenes policy or laws, regardless of intention (excepting a few areas where specific protections are applied).