Nigerian-born Eniola Aluko has accused the manager of England Women’s National Football Team, Lionesses, Mark Sampson, of taunting her with Ebola.
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Eniola whose brother, Sone Aluko was capped by Nigeria at the senior level, said the incident took place while she was on international assignment with the Lionesses, a team she played for 102 times only to be dropped unceremoniously.
The 30-year-old striker currently plays for Chelsea Ladies.
She early got £80,000 from English FA to hush up her allegation against Sampson in a confidentiality agreement.
But has now obtained consent to tell her side of the story.
“We were in the hotel. Everybody was excited. It was a big game. On the wall, there was a list of the family and friends who were coming to watch us and I just happened to be next to Mark. He asked me if I had anyone who would be there and I said I had family coming over from Nigeria. ‘Oh,’ he said. ‘Nigeria? Make sure they don’t bring Ebola with them.’
“I remember laughing but in a very nervous way. I went back to my room and I was really upset. It might have been easier to take if it was about me alone. Lots of things had been said about me over those two years but this was about my family. I called my mum and she was absolutely disgusted,” Aluko told Guardian of UK.
