Massimo Cellino: 'I blame my lawyers for Lucy Ward case and I won’t apologise to her,' says Leeds owner

' [That comment] is a very disrespectful thing [to] my mother and my daughter and my wife. It means I have no consideration and no respect'

Leeds United owner Massimo Cellino (Getty Images)

Leeds United owner Massimo Cellino has told The Independent he blames his lawyers for the outcome of a sex discrimination tribunal which has brought humiliation to the club, claiming they should have called him to testify and that they convinced him it was a “simple case.”

Cellino was found to have wrongfully dismissed and sexually discriminated against Lucy Ward, the experienced academy education officer, with the allegation - unchallenged in this week’s employment tribunal - that he thought women's place was "in the bedroom or beautician’s."

But with the FA preparing to contact Ms Ward to see if she wishes to pursue the matter formally with them, Cellino has said that he doesn't recognise the words and insists that it is the suggestion he is sexist he regrets, rather than Ms Ward's dismissal and the legal consequences - which is "not a big deal."

He said: "I didn't follow [it] actually. It was not an important thing. The only thing is I’m very disappointed [about] is that I never said anything about what has come out about women. [That comment] is a very disrespectful thing [to] my mother and my daughter and my wife. It means I have no consideration and no respect. Women and children are the most important thing. I think they deserve respect. That’s why that [comment] hurts me."

Leeds supporters have responded with horror to the tribunal’s revelations about the treatment of Ms Ward, who is credited with a pastoral and educational role in the development of 250 young Leeds players in an 11-year career with the club. Events in the courtroom have also provoked a dramatic hardening of opinion against Cellino, with the Leeds-based Yorkshire Evening Post asking on its page one banner headline on Thursday: 'How Much More?'

But Cellino clearly does not see Ms Ward’s role in the same way. He said he would not apologise to her for what the tribunal found to be a "sham" charge of gross misconduct, because the "bedroom or beautician" quote had distressed him. Neither would he offer her an invitation to return to the club because he assumed she would reject it.

Beyond the quote he contests, the evidence was "not important," he said. "We are talking about some kind of revenge from an employee who has been fired. He blamed the man he last year hired as executive director, Adam Pearson, for leaving the legal problem behind when he departed the club after only four months and accused his staff of failing to pick it up.

"I was not involved with the matter," he said. "It is a routine employment case. It’s normal in any business. I don’t know why I was not called as a witness. Why don’t you call me or [Adam] Underwood, [Ms Ward’s line manager.] They told me it was a simple case, run by Adam Pearson. When he left, the case was forgotten. Nobody took over it. Then it was too late."

After a rigorous three-day examination of the Ms Ward’s dismissal, the tribunal rejected as a "sham" the notion that she was for taking extended leave to commentate on the 2015 Women’s World Cup in Canada for the BBC. The actual reason, the panel of three found, was the fact that she was in a relationship with manager Neil Redfearn, whom Cellino wanted to sack as manager.

Lucy Ward

Cellino cited both reasons, but admitted that her relationship with the man he wanted to fire – a "dinosaur" attitude, according to Ward’s QC Nick Randall – was a problem. "She was the girlfriend of Neil," he said. "Apparently there was some jealousy [within] the club. Being the girlfriend of the manager of the first team manager was taking advantage."

The Italian’s description of the two occasions on which he says he has met Ward seemed to bear out the tribunal testimony that she took on a substantial number of tasks beneath her designation, as well as running the academy’s education and welfare. The first time, she was "cleaning the kitchen," he said. On the second occasion, she was trying to save unnecessary costs the club was incurring in fuel claims

Yet this did not seem to persuade him that losing her was damaging to the club. "If I see her I don’t recognise [her]," he said. "I spoke to her two times. I [told my staff]: 'Don’t put me in a [difficult] position [but they didn’t listen.]' If I just want to get rid of her because [I] want to [sack] Neil Redfearn, we can give three months’ notice and make her position redundant."

Cellino claimed that women comprised 75 per cent of his workforce at the Championship club. "The female works harder than the male," he said. "Ask all my employees at Leeds. Ask my PA. They are mainly women and they are beautiful workers. I’m very proud to have them working for me." Asked whether he might show humility and invite her back, Cellino said: "I don’t think Miss Lucy wants to work here [now.]"

The Independent can reveal that the Football Association has been aware of the circumstances of Ms Ward’s dismissal for months, having been informed of the situation by Ms Ward’s advisers. No action could be taken ahead of the three-day employment tribunal.