Tony Henry sacked: West Ham axe head of recruitment over alleged discrimination against African players
Henry is alleged to have told agents he was not interested in signing any players from Africa because they 'cause mayhem'
WEST HAM have sacked head of recruitment Tony Henry over alleged discrimination towards African players.
Henry is alleged to have told agents he was not interested in signing any players from Africa because they 'cause mayhem'.
The club released a statement which read: "West Ham United have today terminated the contract of Director of Player Recruitment, Tony Henry, with immediate effect following his unacceptable comments that were widely reported in the press.
";Our action follows a full and thorough investigation.
"West Ham United will not tolerate any type of discrimination.
";The West Ham United family is an inclusive one where, regardless of gender, age, ability, race, religion or sexual orientation, everybody feels welcome and included."
West Ham players of African descent
The current West Ham squad has six players of African descent. Some have chosen to represent other nations in international football.
Cheikhou Kouyate (Senegal)
Pedro Obiang (Equatorial Guinea)
Joao Mario (Angola)
Angelo Ogbonna (Nigeria)
Arthur Masuaku (DR Congo)
Edimilson Fernandes (Cape Verde)
SunSport understands that the FA are still investigating the case.
Henry is alleged to have sent an email which said the club had decided against signing any footballers from Africa amid concerns over their attitude.
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He is said to have cited the behaviour of former striker Diafra Sakho, a Senegal international, as one of the reasons behind the stance - which leaves West Ham open to allegations they break discrimination laws.
It is alleged Henry said: “We had problems with Diafra Sakho. We find that when they are not in the team they cause mayhem.
"It’s nothing against the African race at all. I mean, look, there are top African players.
“It’s just sometimes they cause a lot of problems when they are not playing, as we had with Diafra. He’s left, so great. It’s nothing personal at all.”
It is also alleged Henry sent a January 27 email in which he wrote: “We don’t want any more Africans.”
It was claimed to have been sent to a senior club official and an agent, talking about a Cameroonian player also on Crystal Palace’s radar, plus another possible target.
Henry said: “We don’t want more Africans, he’s not good enough.”
Senegal international Sakho was last month sold to Rennes after finding his first team opportunities limited at the London Stadium.
