Another year, another series of dramas that brought sport into disrepute. In this week’s Member Insights piece, David Alexander, the founder and MD of Calacus PR puts a spotlight from governance issues to doping dramas for which 2024 will go down as a year when sport faced reputational crises that underline the importance of good planning, good governance and an understanding of how to manage the media when a storm blows.
It’s a reminder of the importance of crisis communications preparation – the insurance to help you navigate not just those crises that you can foresee, but those you can’t.
As we say every year, planning, a code of ethics and transparency can often alleviate many of the reputation-damaging crises we have seen in 2024, but panic and self-preservation often lead to foolish decisions which ultimately do more harm than good.
RFU
RFU Chief Executive Bill Sweeney has caused an outcry after it was revealed that his salary for the 2023-24 financial year rose to £1.1million.
The RFU reported an operating loss of £37.9m for the same period, the highest it has recorded while Tom Ilube, Chair of the RFU board, sought to justify the increase in executive remuneration.
But with the RFU also making 42 staff redundant in September and grass roots participation in decline, the topics aren’t good.
Three former RFU chairmen, Martyn Thomas, Graeme Cattermole and Brian Baister asserted in a letter that the positions of Sweeney and Ilube were “untenable” as the executive director team expenditure rose from £2.8 million last year to £4.9 million.
Reports also suggest that up to 10 members of the RFU senior leadership were handed promotions to become directors.
The second tier of English rugby is also seeking a vote of no confidence in Sweeney with the 12 RFU Championship clubs requesting a special general meeting (SGM) to debate the leadership of Sweeney and Ilube.
The Championship clubs voted unanimously to add their voices to the demand for a special general meeting, which has also been backed by the Rugby Football Referees’ Union.
The RFU has sought to defend itself and said in a statement: “The RFU ends this latest four-year cycle with a strong balance sheet, no debt, a robust cash position and positive P&L reserves.
“The RFU has continued to invest strategically in the game at all levels and for the last two years the RFU have been working hard to develop a redesigned Championship with the aim of developing a whole game solution to support the development of England Rugby.”
Learning
Sports governance is deeply political and can become a distracting sideshow that affects all levels of the game.
Perception is reality when a chief executive and his colleagues are taking higher salaries at a time where redundancies and cost-cutting are being felt by others within the organisation and the game at large.
It’s hard to see how the Chief Executive and his colleagues recover from the growing mood of no confidence after failing to understand the optics in tricky financial times.
PGMOL & David Coote
Refereeing, from grassroots level to the highest echelons of the game, is beset by criticism with disagreements over decisions a naturally partisan pastime.
But the Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL), the English professional football governing body, does not help itself with a strategy and narrative that seems to change according to the circumstances.
When Howard Webb took over in 2022, he talked about an improvement in standards, particularly in reference to the video assistant referees (VAR).
A one-sided TV show on Sky Sports which glosses over inconsistencies and makes excuses rather than taking ownership for mistakes has hardly helped.
Integrity is fundamental in sport at any level, but particularly in high profile elite competition.
With controversy over inconsistent on-field and VAR decisions
The governing body’s reputation suffered another blow late in 2024 when a video emerged of senior referee David Coote appearing to make derogatory remarks about Liverpool and their former manager Jurgen Klopp who he disliked for having a go at him during a match.
Coote was suspended before another video appearing to show him snorting white powder during Euro 2024 in Germany – where he was officiating – was published by The Sun.
Later in November, The Football Association (FA) launched an investigation into allegations that Coote discussed giving a yellow card ahead of a match in 2019.
After an investigation, Coote’s contract was terminated and the PGMOL statement said: “Following the conclusion of a thorough investigation into David Coote’s conduct, his employment with PGMOL has been terminated today with immediate effect.
“David Coote’s actions were found to be in serious breach of the provisions of his employment contract, with his position deemed untenable.”
Learning
The PGMOL has a serious reputational problem.
Their dialogue with friendly journalists does nothing to enhance their credibility and attracts criticism as they avoid real scrutiny or a grasp of the issues sub-par refereeing performances attract.
Howard Webb has made no significant improvement to the PGMOL’s reputation, appearing, if anything, to love the limelight without any self-awareness.
The Coote saga further raises questions about the depth of bias within the roster of top flight referees and why more isn’t done to improve culture and performance.
Enhanced Games
With the recent backing of PayPal billionaire Peter Thiel and other tech businessmen, it looks like the controversial Enhanced Games has the financial backing to take place in 2025.
The Enhanced Games is a proposed international athletic competition, not unlike the Olympic Games, but with one major difference: they explicitly do not test for Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs). This is not to say that athletes are forced to dope, but rather than doping is perfectly permissible in the eyes of the organisers.
Their stated goal is to see how far humans can go, using a combination of chemical and technological doping; the former including anabolic steroids and hormone therapy, the latter technology like ’super trainers’ and swimsuits based on sharkskin.
The main philosophy of the Enhanced Games is that PED use should be seen as a ‘demonstration of science’ rather than as cheating.
The Enhanced Games also claim to have a vastly improved pay structure compared to the Olympic Games, including a stipend for all athletes that compete, as well as substantial prizes for the most successful – including up to and above $1m for gold medallists.
World Athletics President Sebastian Coe was scathing in his assessment and said: “There’s only one message and that is if anybody is moronic enough to feel that they want to take part in that, and they are from the traditional, philosophical end of our sport, they’ll get banned and they’ll get banned for a long time.”
One of the Enhanced Games website slogans is: ‘My body, my choice,’ clearly attempting to echo the pro-choice slogans of pro-abortion activists while a further slogan of the Enhanced Games is ‘Science is real,’ echoing pro-vaccination arguments during the Covid Pandemic.
Whether or not they can attract sufficient athletes remains to be seen. At the time of writing, very few have publicly supported the new competition.
Learning
There is so much that the Enhanced Games have got wrong from a communications perspective.
Instead of demonstrating an understanding of the concerns and addressing them in a sensitive way, the approach has been one of aggressive belligerence.
The risks to athlete safety alone will ensure continued widespread condemnation from the sports world and beyond.
And will sponsors or broadcasters want to be associated with such a controversial competition which would potentially undermine their own ethics and ethos?
IBA – The International Boxing Association
The International Boxing Association, (IBA) has had a difficult few years, with concerns over governance and integrity ultimately seeing it removed as boxing’s Olympic governing body by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 2023.
Last year, Khelif and fellow boxer Lin Yu-Ting of Taiwan were disqualified from IBA’s World Boxing Championships and at Paris 2024, Khelif, who was born and raised a woman, and does not identify as either transgender or intersex, was caught in a gender storm that overshadowed the boxing competition.
The issue was back in the news during the Paris 2024 boxing competition when Italian Angela Carini broke down in tears and quit her bout against the Algerian Khelif after 46 seconds in a fight that sparked huge controversy.
Carini expressed regret over her actions in the ring. “All this controversy makes me sad,” Carini told Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport. “I’m sorry for my opponent, too. If the IOC said she can fight, I respect that decision. It wasn’t something I intended to do. Actually, I want to apologise to her and everyone else. I was angry because my Olympics had gone up in smoke.”
The IOC made a statement criticising IBA’s governance and later IOC President Thomas Bach confirmed that the boxers were not transgender and that the issues was a politically motivated campaign by Russian interests against the IOC and the Paris Olympics.
Despite their lack of involvement from Paris 2024, IBA called a press conference to build upon the controversy and explain why they had banned Khelif from their own event last year.
The event was a shambles, with technical issues, while Kremlev used the opportunity to attack the IOC and President Bach again, claiming that he was standing up for women’s sport, despite all the speakers being men.
Several journalists and other people who were attending left in disgust, at not just the language, but the tone of the answers from the IBA participants.
No wonder the IOC’s Mark Adams responded: “It was a chaotic farce. The organisation and the content of this press conference tells you everything you need to know about their governance and credibility.”
After winning welterweight gold by beating Chinese world champion Yang Liu by a unanimous decision over five rounds, Khelif said: “I am fully qualified to take part in this competition. I’m a woman like any other woman. For eight years, this has been my dream, and I’m now the Olympic champion and gold medalist. That also gives my success a special taste because of those attacks.
“We are in the Olympics to perform as athletes, and I hope that we will not see any similar attacks in future Olympics. I was born a woman, I lived a woman, I competed as a woman, there’s no doubt about that. [The detractors] are enemies of success, that is what I call them. And that also gives my success a special taste because of these attacks.”
Learning
Given their reputation as an organisation, and despite of the facts as laid out by the IOC, what IBA needed to do was show leadership, authority and professionalism.
That would send a message to the world that they are a serious organisation capable of representing the diverse boxing family and acting with integrity.
What transpired was quite the opposite.
Not once did any of the speakers show any sympathy for the online bullying and abuse that Khelif has faced.
One reporter described the event as “the most extraordinary, chaotic, shambolic and badly organised international sporting press conference I have ever attended,” and it was perhaps a fatal blow to IBA’s hopes of regaining Olympic Programme control for boxing.
Charlotte Dujardin
There was a time when Charlotte Dujardin was considered the darling of dressage.
But the double Olympic champion withdrew from the Paris 2024 Olympic Games after a video emerged of her whipping a horse 24 times during training.
The initial complaint was made by the Dutch equine lawyer Stephan Wensing on behalf of an unnamed client. In an interview with The Times in July, Wensing compared Dujardin’s conduct to “old-style abuse of elephants at the circus”.
Dujardin’s reputation has been in ruins since the video emerged with sponsors withdrawing their support and a global horse welfare charity, Brooke, dropping her as an ambassador.
Two of Dujardin’s sponsors, equestrian insurance company KBIS and Danish equestrian equipment company Equine LTS, have removed their backing while UK Sport also suspended her eligibility for public funding.
Dujardin admitted to being “deeply ashamed” of her actions when the four-year-old video emerged on the eve of the Games.
“What happened was completely out of character and does not reflect how I train my horses or coach my pupils, however there is no excuse.”
Following an investigation, Dujardin was banned from dressage competition for a year by the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI).
In a statement, Dujardin said she “fully respects” the decision to ban her. ”I understand the responsibility that comes with my position in the sport, and I will forever aim to do better.”
Whether Dujardin returns to the sport to try to become Britain’s most successful female Olympian at the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 2028 remains to be seen.
Learning
The sorry episode raises more questions about the welfare of horses and what goes on behind closed doors.
To Dujardin’s credit, at least she didn’t try to make excuses or deny the severity of the incident, she was quick to apologise and has accepted her punishment – but her reputation is forever tarnished.
It’s a reminder that in this age of smartphones, everything you say or do can be filmed – doing the right thing at all times is vital.
Doping in tennis
Some big names from the world of tennis have been embroiled in doping recently, sending shockwaves through the sport and raising questions about the consistency of testing and punishments.
Five-time Grand Slam champion Iga Swiatek tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine in August ahead of the Cincinnati Open and the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA) announced in November that she had received a one-month suspension after it was decided that she carried “no significant fault or negligence.”
Swiatek said that the substance entered her body due to the contamination of non-prescription medication she had been using for jet lag and sleep issues, and having already served 22 days of her ban in the autumn, she is now free to compete at her next two scheduled events: the United Cup and the Australian Open.
That news came after ATP world No.1 Jannik Sinner avoided a ban after twice testing positive for the anabolic steroid clostebol in March 2024, although the Italian is awaiting the outcome of a World Anti-Doping Agency appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).
Sinner’s explanation was that the banned performance-enhancer entered his system unintentionally through a massage from his physiotherapist, who used a spray containing the steroid to treat his own cut finger.
It’s understandable that Simona Halep was aggrieved after being given a four-year ban in September 2023 after testing positive for the banned blood doping agent roxadustat at the 2022 US Open.
The two-time Grand Slam winner’s ban was later reduced to nine months following her appeal to the CAS, although she said that there were “completely different approaches” to the processes of dealing with the cases.
Halep later added: “What I believe is not fair, either, is that they announced my case straight away, and I got all the heat from the press, and for these two players they kept it secret, and they just said about the case when everything was done, so it’s very weird.”
Swiatek rejected those assertions, saying: “I know that people need to automatically compare such situations to others that have already happened, but the truth is that each of these cases is completely different. My fate, just like the fates of others, was in their hands and they decide how each case will turn out. I trust that this process is objective, that everything is done according to the regulations and no one judges a player this way or that way because of his position.”
Learning
The cases of Halep, Swiatek and Sinner have led to questions over the way anti-doping cases are handled and whether players are treated differently.
The ITIA has strenuously denied any differences in the way players are treated, but the fact that Swiatek’s case was heard in secret and only revealed after the fact does raise concerns about consistency and the need for full transparency when sporting integrity and players’ reputations are at stake.
Raygun
The Olympic Games has made great strides to attract a younger audience in recent years with breakdancing, skateboarding and sport climbing attracting younger people and reflecting the diversity of sporting competition.
But Australian breakdancer Rachael Gunn became a figure of fun at the Paris Games, after she broke out a host of unorthodox moves against the world’s best breakdancers, with images of her moving like a kangaroo, a snake and a sprinkler becoming memes.
The 37-year-old Sydney university professor failed to score a single point and was heavily criticised, with questions raised that it may have been a research project for Gunn, a full-time university lecturer who researches dance and gender politics and has studied a range of dance styles, according to her Olympics bio.
Gunn ended up posting a response on Instagram where she said that the reaction to her routine was “pretty devastating” and called on the media to “stop harassing my family and friends.”
Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) hit out at a “misleading and bullying” petition signed by more than 50,000 which criticised Gunn.
The AOC released a 12-point fact-check to combat the spread of claims against Gunn, saying no athlete should be treated the way she has.
AusBreaking, the national governing body, also debunked the attacks on Gunn — including the widely circulated, but false, allegation that her husband and coach, Samuel Free, had somehow orchestrated her victory in last year’s qualifying competitions. The Australian Associated Press agreed with the organisation, in a separate fact-check.
The World DanceSport Federation, breaking’s sanctioning group, also issued a statement, saying it stands against harassment and abuse, including cyberbullying.
Learning
Gunn and the Australian Olympic Committee dealt with the controversy well in the circumstances – and originality is certainly not deserving of criticism.
But knowing that she couldn’t compete with her rivals, Gunn could have made clear in advance of her intention to be creative rather than competitive, to face the situation head-on.
As it is, her performance gave fuel to those who ridiculed breakdancing being part of the Olympic Games Programme rather than underline the value of individual expression.
Steven van de Velde
The Olympic Values were severely tested when it was revealed that beach volleyball player Steven van de Velde had previously been convicted of raping a 12-year-old British girl, serving 13 months in prison.
Victim support and safeguarding groups called for him to be banned.
In a statement the Dutch Olympic Committee said it had put in place “concrete measures” to ensure a safe sporting environment for all Olympics participants in light of Van de Velde’s participation.
“Van de Velde has fully engaged with all requirements and has met all the stringent risk assessment thresholds, checks and due diligence. Experts have stated that there is no risk of recidivism.”
Van de Velde and his playing partner Matthew Immers reached the quarter-finals in Paris with Van de Velde repeatedly subjected to a stream of boos and whistles from the crowd.
The Dutchman, who requested not to stay in the Olympic Village and was allowed to absent himself from post-match mixed zone interviews, admitted that he considered quitting the games before deciding to compete.
He said: “I thought, ‘I don’t want that. I’m not going to give others the power to decide they can bully me away or get rid of me’. I can’t change what people think of me. Someone can hold me responsible forever for what happened and that’s OK, because that’s what it is. It is their right. So, I accept that. I’m not the person I was 10 years ago. It has been the biggest mistake of my life.”
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) faced calls for an investigation into how the player had been allowed to compete at Paris 2024. In an email seen by the Guardian, a senior official with the Dutch Olympic Committee has insisted that Van de Velde was not a paedophile, in response to a concerned British man who lives in the Netherlands.
Learning
Should an athlete be prevented from competing because of past transgressions?
Child rape is a serious crime, and Van de Velde’s presence was another unsavoury sideshow for the Olympic Games.
The IOC dealt with the issue superbly, and the comments from the Dutch Olympic Committee were also understanding of the seriousness of the situation.
But it raises questions about whether an athlete with such a heinous past should be permitted to compete – or whether safeguards need to be put in place to ensure the spirit of the Olympic Movement is followed by every competing nation and its athletes.
Manchester United
It’s fair to say that the investment by Sir Jim Ratcliffe has not gone smoothly so far.
A quick win was to announce among his initial reforms that he would instigate a three-year freeze on dividend payments, bucking the controversial trend set by the Glazers.
An audit of United staff and the club’s facilities led to some clumsy communications that further underline the need for expert PR support.
In late April, Ratcliffe made the decision to cut staff perks as part of his money-saving measures ahead of the men’s FA Cup final, including scrapping travel, accommodation and friends and family arrangements.
In early May, after a tour of the Trafford Training Centre, Ratcliffe sent another email to staff condemning the state of the training ground, banning working from home and creating an atmosphere described as “toxic.”
Cutting staff Christmas bonuses, dismissing the importance of the women’s team after not even attending their triumphant FA Cup final appearance and hiring then firing sporting director Dan Ashworth have all added to the chaos.
Fans have been targeted too, with the scrapping of concessions and introducing a minimum price of £66 for Premier League matches.
Clearly Ratcliffe sees plenty of opportunity to cut costs and waste, but at what cost to the staff and fans who make the club what it is?
Learning
A club of United’s size will always receive significant media attention, so every mis-step has been pored over with results as indifferent to some of Sir Jim’s early initiatives.
These drastic measures demonstrate an unwavering commitment to getting Manchester United back on track in the long-term, and any attempt to instil a degree of vigour should be welcomed with open arms.
But it’s also a reminder that senior leaders, however successful they have been in their professional lives, would do well to work closely with their communications teams. Unlike his stated ambition, communication has not been consistently friendly and supportive.
So often we see that the best intentions, clumsily delivered, can do more harm than good that undermines credibility, trust and the support of those key audiences that leaders seek to engage.
Canada Women’s football team
Canada’s women’s football team were caught in a huge controversy during Paris 2024 which stretched the spirit of fair play on which the Olympic Games were founded.
The team was deducted six points from their group and coach Bev Priestman was banned for one year after New Zealand reported to French police that a drone had been flying over their practice sessions.
FIFA announced the sanctions – which include a £175,720 fine for the Canadian Soccer Association (CSA) – a day after Priestman was removed as Canada’s Olympic head coach with CSA officials Joseph Lombardi and Jasmine Mander also been suspended for a year.
The consequences were tough on the players, who had prepared for the tournament for years only to be handed a punishment for something they hadn’t been involved in.
Ultimately the women’s team crashed out in the quarter-finals to Germany on penalties, but that was far from the end of the controversy.
Former Canada men’s coach John Herdman also became embroiled in the scandal after reports that he had used drones as well and essentially taught Priestman the value of surreptitiously-obtained footage.
Eventually whistleblowers came forward, telling Radio-Canada they faced “strong pressure” from Canada Soccer’s top coaches to take part in the spying.
“’No’ wasn’t an option,” said a former player on the men’s national team. “John Herdman put his staff under a lot of pressure. If his assistants refused they were put aside.”
Canada Soccer has ended up announcing the results of an independent review and it was telling that Herdman did not find time to be interviewed.
Chief Executive Kevin Blue initiated disciplinary proceedings against Herdman and accepted that there may be a “systemic ethical shortcoming” that needs to be addressed.
“We are working to change Canada Soccer into a federation that Canadians trust and are proud of, and one that is not defined by unfortunate actions of the past.”
Learning
An organisation’s culture is only as good as the people who adhere to it.
Athletes and employees deserve to compete and work without the fear of being tainted by the actions of their leaders.
If staff or athletes are scared of coming forward and voicing concerns, fearful for the consequences of their actions, it provides a perfect opportunity for serious reputational damage if individuals are abusing the system.
Whether Canada Soccer executives knew about the use of drones is open to debate, but the organisation’s ethical failures should prompt systemic changes and clarity of guidelines that are rigorously enforced.
For crisis communications support and information, please contact Calacus via info@calacus.com
