The Football Association has been accused of turning a blind eye to a culture of bullying and racism within women’s football, and for paying ‘hush money’ to prevent one of its former star players speaking out.

Eniola “Eni” Aluko is a forward for Chelsea Ladies football club, and played for the England women’s team until resigning in May 2016. This week, she gave an explosive interview in which she alleged that her former manager had bullied her and used racist language about her and another player.

Aluko filed a formal complaint against Mark Sampson – the head of the England women’s team – in 2016, claiming that he used racially derogatory language about her and another player. Her complaint also levelled several accusations of bullying at Sampson that were not related to race.

An internal investigation by the FA and a later independent inquiry cleared Sampson of any wrongdoing, although it was recommended that he improve his communication skills. However, it has now been revealed that Aluko was paid around £80,000 by the FA to sign a confidentiality agreement ahead of this summer’s Euro 2017 tournament – raising questions about whether the FA wanted to cover up the inquiry.

The FA claims that the only purpose of the agreement was to “avoid disruption”, and that Aluko was always free to discuss the investigation, something she disputes. But she has now gained consent to tell her side of the story, and discussed Sampson’s alleged behaviour in an interview with the Guardian.

This former Lioness says women’s football has a toxic culture of bullying