A YORKSHIRE football club and one of its managers discriminated against a black woman employee who was passed over four times for promotion, an employment tribunal has ruled. Leeds United faces a bill for damages after the tribunal agreed that Yvonne Campbell, from Roundhay, Leeds, was both discriminated against and victimised on the grounds of race and sex.

Mrs Campbell's boss, catering manager Alan Hegarty, had denied calling ethnic minority members of staff "jungle bunnies", "tree swingers" and referring to them as "coming off a banana boat".

But the tribunal's written judgment found Mr Hegarty had made racist comments "when under stress" although this was "some considerable time ago".

It said Mr Hegarty was "more naturally inclined" to value the skills of white men and it would not be surprising if he had devalued Mrs Campbell's abilities, although he might have done so subconsciously.

On one occasion, Mrs Campbell was overlooked for a job on the grounds that her 30 years in the trade was inadequate only for the job to be later given to a man with "extremely limited" experience.

She began working in the catering industry in 1975 and been employed by Leeds United since 1992, rising to the role of assistant banqueting manager.

Mr Hegarty had accused her of grabbing a co-worker by the throat – which Mrs Campbell vehemently denied – and told the man hearing her grievance that she was "greedy and money orientated".

The tribunal noted that of the 128 people Leeds United employs in addition to football players, only four were non-white and none were senior managers.

Its judgment concluded the way Mrs Campbell's case had been handled and the way people were employed showed there had been "a complete disregard of equal opportunities policies and procedures".

Mrs Campbell, 43, a mother of two, said last night: "Obviously I'm very happy with the judgment. However I do not believe it is appropriate to comment at this moment in time as the issue of remedy is still ongoing."

The chief operating officer at Leeds United, Shaun Harvey, said: "We are an equal opportunities employer and that is the only basis on which employment decisions are made."

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