Wednesday 29 May 2019 17:34, UK
Ex-Sheffield United player Sophie Jones racially abused Tottenham's Renee Hector and then lied to conceal what she had done, an FA regulatory commission has ruled.
The Football Association has published the written reasons for finding Jones guilty of racial abuse as the pair waited for a corner to be taken during an ill-tempered match in January this year.
The Blades terminated the contract of Jones, who has always denied accusations that she made monkey noises towards Hector, two months after the incident.
The commission heard how the 27-year-old Jones initially claimed she had a cough during the game, only to deny this when later questioned by the commission, ultimately leading to them being unable to believe her version of events.
At the time of the incident, Hector's Tottenham teammate Ashleigh Neville asked the referee "why are they allowed to make animal noises at our player?". The referee responded, saying she had not heard the noises.
In a later interview with the FA, Jones denied having a cough, which the commission believed was an attempt by Jones to conceal the fact she was responsible for the noises.
The report of the hearing said: "Since SJ's evidence was that she did not recollect having a cough, and had indeed denied having a cough in her FA interview, it was clear that SJ was lying about having a cough when she said it on the pitch.
"The commission concluded that the only reason to lie at that point was to conceal the fact that she, SJ, was responsible for the noise."
Jones was given a five-match suspension, fined £200 and made to attend an FA educational course. After having her contract terminated by Sheffield United, Jones maintained her innocence before announcing her retirement from football.
