Accept v Consiliul National pentru Combaterea Discriminarii
Another case, another football club (spot the trend?). A prominent figure in Steaua football club in Romania said that he would see the club closed down before it accepted a gay football player on the team.
He didn't have any direct authority over recruitment or other matters relating to the club, but he was closely associated with its management. That, said the Court of Justice of the European Union (previously called the ECJ), was enough to give rise to a presumption that the club's refusal to appoint a gay player was because of his sexual orientation. The player was therefore guaranteed to win a discrimination claim unless the club could prove a credible (and non-discriminatory) reason for not taking him on.
Remember that public statements made by senior people in your organisation, or those closely associated with it, can have far-reaching consequences. In this case, a throwaway comment by a manager meant that the club became vulnerable to discrimination claims.
Another case, another football club (spot the trend?). A prominent figure in Steaua football club in Romania said that he would see the club closed down before it accepted a gay football player on the team.
He didn't have any direct authority over recruitment or other matters relating to the club, but he was closely associated with its management. That, said the Court of Justice of the European Union (previously called the ECJ), was enough to give rise to a presumption that the club's refusal to appoint a gay player was because of his sexual orientation. The player was therefore guaranteed to win a discrimination claim unless the club could prove a credible (and non-discriminatory) reason for not taking him on.
Remember that public statements made by senior people in your organisation, or those closely associated with it, can have far-reaching consequences. In this case, a throwaway comment by a manager meant that the club became vulnerable to discrimination claims.
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