The Football Association (FA) has formally warned a Burnley player care officer over their conduct on social media, related to tweets about the war in Israel and Gaza.
Laura Wolfe, who is externally contracted by Burnley as a first-team player care consultant, was investigated over allegations of liking tweets which could be construed as Islamophobic.
The Athletic has seen several of the tweets in question, which were posted since Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, which killed more than 1,000 civilians.
They include liking tweets calling Palestinians “an invented people”, another stating “good riddance” in response to the death of a civilian in Gaza, and another saying “political Islam is a lethal poison that needs to be understood and eradicated.”
Back in February, Burnley confirmed to The Athletic that they had also commenced “an independent investigation into an externally contracted member of staff”, which is understood to have been carried out by a third-party investigator.
This investigation has since concluded, with the club disagreeing with the FA and finding that Wolfe was not in breach of contract. The club concluded that “on the balance of probabilities” the tweets were not Islamophobic and did not bring the club into disrepute, although it is understood they will review their diversity policy, social media policy, and EDI training.
Burnley have several Muslim players in their first-team squad and senior academy, while the club is also part of a community with a significant Muslim population.
Wolfe has worked as a consultant for Burnley since July 2022, with her job involving looking after the wellbeing of the first-team squad and coaching staff, with responsibility for much of the non-sporting and non-medical aspects of their time at the club.
She is close to former head coach Vincent Kompany, who left Burnley to join Bayern Munich earlier on Wednesday, and chairman Alan Pace, looking after their public relations (PR).
A statement from anti-discrimination campaign group Kick It Out said: “Kick It Out is aware of the decision by the Football Association to formally warn a contractor at a club about their social media activity. 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.
“We also reiterate the recent call from our Islamophobia Working Group for football to adopt the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) Working Definition of Islamophobia so that all stakeholders are working to the same standard.”
The ongoing war in Israel and Gaza has led to several investigations into social media activity by organising bodies across Europe.
FA council member Wasim Haq resigned in November after being investigated over accusations of anti-Semitic activity on social media, while footballer Anwar Al-Ghazi was sacked by German club Mainz over his own post. Haq apologised for his actions while Al-Ghazi denies any wrongdoing.
Nice defender Youcef Atal was given an eight-month suspended prison sentence and fined 45,000 euros ($49,000) by a French court after sharing an anti-Semitic message online. Atal had withdrawn and apologised for the video he reposted, saying he had not watched it until the end before reposting it.
Laura Wolfe has been approached for comment. Burnley did not wish to comment.
(Tony McArdle/Everton FC via Getty Images)
