England Women’s goalkeeping coach Lee Kendall sent home from France

If England had hoped to leave their troubles behind after arriving in northern France for Friday night’s friendly against Les Bleues in Valenciennes they were badly mistaken.

Mo Marley’s squad found themselves in the eye of yet another storm as Lee Kendall, their goalkeeping coach, was ordered to fly home hours before kick off. Although he has not been formally suspended, Kendall is the subject of an internal Football Association investigation over Eni Aluko’s revelation that he used to address the Lagos born forward in a mock Caribbean accent during England camps.

With FA officials uncomfortable with the idea of Kendall being visible in the dug-out, Tim Dittmer, the men’s under-21 goalkeeping coach was flown out at short notice, arriving on Friday afternoon and going virtually from plane to pitch-side.

On Wednesday afternoon FA officials were forced to apologise to Aluko and her Chelsea team-mate Drew Spence after Mark Sampson, England’s former coach, was found to have subjected them to ill-judged, racially discriminatory, jokes.

Speaking in front of a Parliamentary select committee on the same day Aluko reiterated claims about Kendall she had first raised 11 months ago. By then Kendall was already en route to the squad’s base near Arras but on Thursday evening discussions began as to whether he should be stood down from matchday duties.