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Women in Football (WiF) are staggered to learn that Heather Rabbatts will face an FA investigation into her comments regarding Dr Eva Carneiro and physio Jon Fearn, following a request by FA Council members.

In speaking out Rabbatts sought to highlight the injustice of a situation whereby a high profile manager attempted to prioritise results on the field of play over medical ethics, and ultimately a doctor with an unblemished record lost her job. Jose Mourinho's stance was universally condemned by medical organisations including the Football Medical Association, the Premier League Doctors Group, as well as FIFPro, and the PFA.

Rather than seeking sanctions against Rabbatts, WiF would like to see the FA Council supporting her mission to shore up football's moral compass. That some members of the FA Council are instead focusing their efforts on silencing Rabbatts' very valid concerns about ethics in the game, and the governing body's disciplinary process in upholding these, suggests a very worrying priority at the heart of football's decision making chamber.

Additionally, the fact that Rabbatts, as the only female and only ethnic minority member of the FA board, was alone in posing those important questions further underlines the case for why greater diversity is so very necessary across every level of the game. That Rabbatts is willing to use her platform and speak out against injustice in the game should be welcomed by her colleagues, not condemned.

WiF hope that Rabbatts will be cleared and allowed to continue with her important work in bringing football and its values into the 21st century.

NOTE TO EDITORS

Women in Football is a network of 1,400 professional women working in and around the football industry who support and champion their peers.

WiF aims to improve women's representation at all levels of the game by:

*Celebrating women's achievement

*Challenging discrimination and lobbying for change

*Sharing professional contacts, advice and expertise

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