A case brought by a former Premier League employee accusing the organisation of racial discrimination was settled out of court today.
Kay Badu, 38, who worked in the Premier League’s diversity and inclusion team in 2022, had accused the league of racial discrimination, victimisation and harassment following his departure.
The employment tribunal was listed to start today at London Central and is expected to last for three weeks.
Badu had raised concerns of internal racial discrimination to senior staff at the institution. This in turn led to the Premier League carrying out its own probe into allegations of internal racism. They hired an independent barrister, Craig Rajgopaul KC, to investigate but this effectively cleared the league of any wrongdoing.
Badu, who disagreed with the findings of the Premier League’s investigation, then launched his own legal case.
However, this morning, it was announced it had been privately settled.
In a statement, the Premier League confirmed it had resolved the employment tribunal claim brought by Badu.
They said: “Allegations raised by the consultant were the subject of an independent investigation by specialist external counsel in 2023, which found that they were not justified. While the league accordingly rejected the claims, it is pleased both parties have been able to resolve the dispute without the need for a tribunal.
“The league is committed to a professional, open, fair and inclusive workplace, and to the effectiveness of its wider equality, diversity, inclusion and anti-discrimination initiatives.”
Badu added: “I cannot comment further for legal reasons but can confirm the tribunal claim has been withdrawn. Thank you all for your amazing support.”
In February 2022, Badu received a six-figure financial settlement from the government over allegations of racial discrimination when he worked in the Cabinet Office.
Earlier this year, the Premier League settled out of court a separate racial and disability discrimination case brought by another former employee, Moloud Ghashghaee, who worked as a senior IT technician from July 2021 to January 2024.
(Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)
