Leeds United ‘lies’ were ‘such a betrayal’ despite subsequent Andrea Radrizzani apology – BT Sport pundit
Lucy Ward has spoken out about the “betrayal” she felt at Leeds United following her dismissal and sex discrimination case, in an interview with The Guardian.
The BT Sport pundit is a former Leeds United Women player, and worked in the male academy helping develop the likes of James Milner and Kalvin Phillips as head of education and welfare for years, but was let go when partner Neil Redfearn was sacked as manager under Massimo Cellino in 2015.
Ward subsequently won her 2016 discrimination case over the dismissal after “lies” were told about her, and the former Elland Road owner was ordered to pay £290,000 in damages, but the experience changed her relationship with the club she “loved” despite subsequently receiving an apology from current majority shareholder Andrea Radrizzani.
Ward told The Guardian of the hearing: “The foreman of the tribunal and the judge looked amazed that [Leeds] said I was a bully around the training ground and thought I ruled the roost.
“That made headline news around here and you don’t escape that. It felt like such a betrayal but people I considered friends have to live with their lack of integrity and lack of honesty.
“But I cannot get my head round giving everything to the club and that happening to me. I don’t think it’ll ever go away.”
Her relationship with the club is now different, as she said: “I loved Leeds – but that’s in the past tense as it’s very difficult to separate what happened with the people still there.
“I had an apology from Andrea Radrizzani but I look at the club through different eyes.
“The Leeds fans are brilliant with me and have always been supportive and recognised what me and Neil did for the club. But in my job now you can’t support any team. So it’s worked out quite well in that sense.”
Shame
Ward played a key role at Leeds United and was connected to the club for so long that it is a sad situation for her to feel the way she does now.
But having been vindicated by the discrimination hearing it is little surprise, and paints the previous administration at the club in a very poor light.
The turmoil that is occurring under Radrizzani at the moment has the current regime highly unpopular, but it is to Radrizzani’s credit that he reached out to Ward to apologise after the damage done under his predecessor.
The pundit has come out of the other side of the experience as one of the leading voices in British football commentary on BT Sport, but should clearly have not had to go through what she did previously in order to end up there.
The reign of the controversial Cellino is unlikely to remembered particularly fondly by many in West Yorkshire, but it is a positive that the relationship with the supporters remains strong for Ward.
With the future ownership of the club currently hanging in the balance amid a lack of clarity between Radrizzani and 49ers Enterprises, the memory of the Cellino period only increases the need to continue moving in the right direction amid the long-held plans of the 44% American minority-owners.
In other Leeds United news, a “destroyed” Whites transfer may have opened the door for a star man to be sold this summer.