Sack Arsenal’s Board of Directors: Lady Bracewell-Smith

Hot on the heels of Andy Gray & Richard Keys’ sexist comments, where they derided a female official’s understanding of the offside rule, comes another claim of gender based discrimination in the world of football. This time, it is inside the boardroom and is said to be the reason for one of the board members of the Emirates based team to have resigned from her position.

Former Arsenal director Lady Bracewell-Smith has now struck back by calling for the sacking of the board of directors as they have failed to take the club forward, having struck out in the past 6 years.

Bracewell-Smith sold her 15.9 per cent holding to Stan Kroenke in April 2011, as the American took over the ownership of the Gunners.

“I agree that the current board should all go,” Bracewell-Smith posted on Twitter.

“They are passe. Have nothing more to give to the club at all.

In time we will need a more dynamic pro-active younger board, and a good directional leadership.”

The current board comprises of Kroenke, chairman Peter Hill-Wood, chief executive Ivan Gazidis and directors Ken Friar, Sir Chips Keswick, Lord Harris of Peckham.

Bracewell-Smith added: “In time we will need a more dynamic pro-active younger board, and a good directional leadership.”

When she was asked why she was sacked from the board, she responded that they “couldn’t handle a woman with power on the board. Felt insecure. Male chauvinism.”

Lady Bracewell-Smith also expressed her opinion on the calls from fans for the return of David Dein, linked to Usmanov’s Red & White Holdings group, by claiming he was “the root cause of all the troubles at AFC” and was “unable to work with other board members”.

However, she later seemed to soften her stance as she said: “Dein loves the club and although sometimes personalities fall out, his contribution at Arsenal has been immense.”

While Andy Gray and Richard Keys were removed from the Sky group of presenters, it remains to be seen if anything at all will be done on these allegations of discrimination. And in a world where women are proving themselves up to the task, it will definitely be a step in the right direction.

Tags: Arsenal, English Premier League, EPL, Football, Lady Bracewell-Smith, Premier League