Lessons learnt from the top sports crises of 2019

Another year, more drama both on and off the field of play.

It seems that the lessons of previous years have not been heeded by those at the top of professional sport.

Sport continues to be one of life’s most high-profile soap operas and it’s inevitable that mistakes will be made, judgements affected and controversies dramatised over the back pages.

This was a year where the lines between sport and politics blurred regularly.

There’s always plenty to learn from the crises that take place and the opportunities for individuals and organisations to observe to avoid similar fates to those affected below.

RACISM IN FOOTBALL

New ‘Kick It Out’ chairmen Sanjay Bhandari says that discrimination in football may “get worse before it gets better.” And that certainly seems to be the case.

England players were again racially abused in Bulgaria during their Euro 2020 qualifying campaign while Italy striker Mario Balotelli was abused by Verona fans while playing for Brescia.

Perhaps the saddest incident saw Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder Taison sent off after he reacted to racist abuse by fans by gesturing and kicking a ball at Dynamo Kiev fans on November 10.

Rather than Kiev being punished, the Brazilian received a one-game ban from the Ukrainian FA for his reaction.

As if that was not bad enough, Serie A in Italy used images of monkeys in an anti-racism campaign less than three weeks after its clubs pledged to combat Italian football's "serious problem".

The Professional Footballers’ Association have also called for an inquiry after Chelsea's Antonio Rudiger was racially abused during their Premier League win at Tottenham, which underlined the fact that England too has a racism problem to deal with.

There is certainly much to do…

Learning: Until governing bodies come up with consistent and harsh fines for clubs or players guilty of racist abuse, the issues will continue. Token stadium bans and fines for those who react to the abuse do not send out the message that any form of racism or discrimination is simply unacceptable.

LONDON IRISH AND DIAGEO

We have written and spoken a lot about Paddy Jackson, the former Irish international who was found not guilty of rape but mired in controversy related to his treatment of women.

In June, Diageo, one of the world’s largest producers of spirits and beers, ended their sponsorship of London Irish after Jackson was signed from Perpignan.

“Their (London Irish) recent decision is not consistent with our values and so we have ended our sponsorship,” Diageo said in a statement.

Learning: The severance brought to an end a partnership that had lasted almost 30 years and underlined how important it is to take account the values you and your partners want to transmit.

Most sports clubs want to be seen as inclusive and family-friendly and so signing a player whose behaviour was misogynistic at best and abhorrent at worst is not going to be seen to fit in with values organisations want to associate with.

MESUT OZIL

Arsenal playmaker Mesut Ozil is no stranger to controversy.

He lashed out at the German Football Federation and media after being criticised for the team’s poor performances, highlighting his experiences as a footballer of Turkish descent and outrage at him being photographed with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

His claim that he was quitting the national team after being treated with “racism and disrespect” set off political uproar in the country last year.

To add fuel to the fire, President Erdogan was Ozil’s best man when he got married earlier this year.

But that controversy paled into insignificance after posting a tweet criticising Muslims of staying silent over the mistreatment of the Uighur community in China.

“Korans are burned. Mosques are closed. Their schools are banned, but the Muslim community is silent.”

Arsenal immediately distanced themselves from the tweet and underlined their apolitical stance on Weibo, the Chinese social media platform, but that did not stop CCTV, the Chinese state broadcaster, from switching from the Gunners’ match against Manchester City to another match on that Sunday afternoon.

Chinese politicians claim that Ozil had been deceived by fake news and the tweet prompted Chinese fans to burn his shirt, while his social media channels in China have all been shut down.

And as relations between the United States and china cooled, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said: “China’s Communist Party propaganda outlets can censor @MesutOzil1088 and @Arsenal games all season long, but the truth will prevail. The CCP can’t hide its gross #HumanRights violations perpetrated against Uighurs and other religious faiths from the world.”

Learning: Some say sport and politics should never mix, but international boycotts and diplomatic incidents can always spill over into the sporting world.

Ozil has clearly got to the stage of his career, having won the World Cup and numerous other trophies, when he feels it is right to use his profile and platform to highlight issues that matter to him.

There has been speculation that his tweet will have a negative effect on both Arsenal and the Premier League’s commercial partnerships with China in future.

Some may argue that it will damage his global reputation and certainly his earnings from sponsorship deals linked to China will cease, but Ozil knew exactly what he was doing, and with such a huge global platform, decided to take a stand.

AIBA

AIBA, the International Boxing Association, has gone through troubled times in recent years, following the Executive Committee’s decision to remove President CK Wu, after concerns about finances and management and doubts about judges.

Interim Presidents came and went and eventually the International Olympic Committee (IOC) took away AIBA’s right to run the amateur boxing competition at the upcoming 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

AIBA now says that the decision could bankrupt the organisation while it attempts to appoint a new permanent President and review its constitution.

Learning: Good governance is fundamental for the successful running of any organisation.

When internal struggles play out in the media and good governance is not robust, it raises doubts among other stakeholders.

And, of course, saying you are working to address your issues and challenges is pointless unless you can show tangible evidence of the positive changes you are saying you are undertaking.

PEP GUARDIOLA AND BERNARDO SILVA

Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva was banned for one game and fined £50,000 for a controversial tweet sent to Manchester City team-mate Benjamin Mendy.

The tweet had racist connotations and while the player deleted it and joked about it to lighten the mood, it prompted criticism from anti-racism campaigners Kick It Out.

This wasn’t helped by the club’s decision not to release an official statement which left an unprepared Pep Guardiola to speak about the subject in press conferences, giving an impassioned plea as to the impeccable character of Silva.

His passionate defence was well-intended but clumsy and with no apology for any offence caused, he made the situation worse rather than better.

Learning: Organisations should always make a statement declaring their position on an issue that arises and any media-facing spokespeople should be prepped to follow company messaging.

Failing to recognise how actions might have an adverse impact on reputation or cause offence also undermines any defence where reputation or a disciplinary commission is concerned.

CYCLING AND RICHARD FREEMAN

In November 2019, Dr Richard Freeman, the former Team Sky (now INEOS) and British Cycling doctor, faced a tribunal after concerns of doping of elite cyclists in recent years.

Freeman has admitted 18 of 22 charges against him, made by the GMC, but denies a key claim of ordering testosterone to British Cycling headquarters in 2011 knowing or believing it was intended for an athlete.

He claims he was bullied by British Cycling’s Shane Sutton to order 30 sachets of Testogel for the coach's erectile dysfunction, an allegation which Sutton denies.

The tribunal has now been adjourned and may not conclude until autumn 2020, dragging the sport of cycling through further bad publicity.

Learning: Organisations like British Cycling and Team Sky who claim to be whiter than white have to ensure every single system and process is in place to make sure that happens.

When the first doubts arose about mystery packages and treatments, supremo Sir Dave Brailsford was far from convincing in his responses to media questions and nothing that has been communicated since has inspired confidence that the team has practised what it preached.

Again, ensuring what you declare publicly must go in hand with what you do behind closed doors to promote best practice and set an example.

JAMES MADDISON

In October 2019, Leicester City player James Maddison withdrew from the England squad with illness and was pictured in a Leicester casino on the night he was supposed to have been playing for England in their Euro 2020 qualifier game against Czech Republic.

Having already been criticised after being photographed with a very expensive bag, it led to accusations that Maddison was hitting the high life rather than focusing on his football - and a warning from England manager Gareth Southgate.

It prompted his club manager, Brendan Rodgers, to speak out defending the playmaker, but no doubt his conduct will be monitored in the years to come.

Learning: We live in a social media age where everyone has a smartphone and images can circulate around the world in seconds.

Footballers are living in a goldfish bowl where their every public move can be filmed and broadcast.

Anything that can be misconstrued must be avoided and Maddison has probably now realised that he has to keep a low profile if he is not to get a bad reputation which will affect his commercial value and team selection.

SARACENS

In November, Saracens rugby club were fined over £5million and handed a 35-point deduction for breaching salary cap regulations.

The punishment followed a seven-month investigation and left the Premiership winners for four out of the last five years on minus 26 points, battling to avoid relegation. They decided not to appeal.

Saracens’ main sponsor, Allianz, also said that there was no guarantee it will extend its backing in light of the controversy.

Learning: Saracens owner Nigel Wray dropped his appeal and admitted that he had made mistakes, which was the right thing to do even if some of the rules had been broken for some time.

He also revealed that Saracens would organise independent governance and work with Premiership Rugby to ensure everything was in order in future.

All these actions and words were absolutely the right thing to do, but Saracens still face a huge battle to avoid relegation after receiving the maximum fine.

VAR

The Premier League is rightly considered to be one of the best leagues in the world, attracting top players and being watched by huge global audiences.

But it was one of the last countries to involve video assistant referees (VAR) and its implementation has been terrible for the game as a spectacle.

Inconsistent decisions, poor communication with the fans and long delays have rightly been criticised for spoiling the game.

The teething problems prompted crisis talks between referees and the clubs, but even the UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said that “VAR is a disaster.”

Learning: More an issue than a crisis, the PGMOL (Premier League and Professional Game Match Officials) chief Mike Riley has defended VAR rather than accept the problems caused by teething problems and decisions being made incorrectly, further undermining its credibility as the overseers of match officiating.

While there have been admissions that the system needs to improve to give more speed, consistency and quality of communication, the refusal to allow referees to use pitch side monitors suggests a focus on doctrine over spectacle.

As England legend and football pundit Gary Lineker put it, “they couldn’t be getting it more wrong than they currently are.”

ALBERTO SALAZAR AND THE OREGON PROJECT

In October, following a four-year investigation, athletics coach Alberto Salazar was banned from coaching after the US Anti-Doping Agency found that he had been “orchestrating and facilitating prohibited doping conduct.”

The Nike Oregon Project, which was set up to help endurance athletes and could count four-time Olympic champion Mo Farah amongst its stable, was shut down as a consequence.

He was found guilty of administering testosterone and trying to tamper with the doping control process but Nike said it would support his appeal.

Learning: Nike may be one of the biggest suppliers of sports apparel in the world, but its reputation continues to take a battering in light of doping scandals.

As well as the Oregon Project, in recent years it also sponsored sprinters Justin Gatlin and Tyson Gay, both found guilty of doping offences in a move which some prominent athletes criticised.

The Oregon Project case has sullied the reputation of Farah, one of the heroes of Team GB, whose loyalty to Salazar in the past has called his own judgement into question.

Organisations and individuals have to think about the bigger picture when aligning themselves to those whose reputations have been tarnished and understand that by association, they too can be drawn into scandals that have nothing to do with them.