Burnley consultant warned over social media conduct
Burnley were relegated from the Premier League this season
- Published
A player care consultant at Burnley has received a warning from the Football Association about her conduct on social media.
Anti-racism campaigners Kick It Out received a complaint on 4 January about Laura Wolfe liking material on X, formerly Twitter, regarding the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict.
It was passed on to the FA who looked into the matter and subsequently issued the warning for her social media activity.
In a memo sent to Kick It Out, which has been seen by 大象传媒 Sport, Burnley confirmed they had investigated the matter internally.
The club also said they would review their diversity and social media policies as well as training for staff and contractors.
The outcome of the FA investigation became public on Tuesday.
The FA declined to comment but it is understood they issue warnings and/or reminders of responsibilities on a regular basis in relation to a wide range of alleged misconduct.
Wolfe's legal team told 大象传媒 Sport she is disputing the outcome of the FA's findings.
Burnley failed to respond when contacted for a statement.
Activity on an X account under Wolfe鈥檚 name appeared to 鈥榣ike鈥 a post which stated 鈥淧alestinians are an invented people鈥 and 鈥渨ere created to be the biggest Jew haters on Earth鈥, while she also appeared to 鈥榣ike鈥 a comment which stated 鈥済ood riddance鈥 to a poet that had been killed in Gaza.
Burnley's investigation found "on the balance of probability" that there was "insufficient evidence to substantiate" the allegations against Wolfe were "Islamophobic or discriminatory on the grounds of race or religion".
The club also told Kick It Out there was insufficient evidence to establish that Wolfe's activity on X brought "Burnley Football Club into disrepute".
As well as her work as a consultant for Burnley, Wolfe is described on a business platform as having high-profile clients in the sports industry and as the owner of the Northwest Football Awards.
She ran former Clarets boss Vincent Kompany's testimonial year while he was playing at Manchester City and lists Kick It Out as a client on her events website.
Kick It Out said in a statement to 大象传媒 Sport the FA "formally" warned "a contractor at a club about their social media activity".
The organisation added: "From the outset, we passed the allegations to the FA and the club, and kept the complainant informed, as is our normal policy.
"As the ongoing conflict in Israel and Gaza continues, we urge all those involved in football to be cautious with their social media engagement, which could endorse words or have impacts that we do not intend.
Kick It Out also said it was encouraging football to "adopt the All Party Parliamentary Group Working Definition of Islamophobia so that all stakeholders are working to the same standard".