Massimo Cellino could face five-match stadium ban after FA launch investigation into Leeds United owner

The Leeds owner is accused of alleged sexual discrimination against the club's former academy head of welfare Lucy Ward

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The FA have launched an investigation into Leeds United owner Massimo Cellino's alleged sexual discrimination against the club's academy head of welfare, and could impose a five-match stadium ban on him.

Lucy Ward's legal team, which last week successfully argued at an employment tribunal that she had been unfairly dismissed by the club, has written to the FA asking them to investigate claims of sexual discrimination which were revealed in court. These included evidence, unchallenged by Leeds’ legal team at the tribunal and found to be valid by employment judge Stephen Keevash, that Cellino had asked why women wanted to be involved in the sport and that their place was in the “bedroom or beautician’s.”

The FA will be investigating the conduct of Cellino, Adam Pearson – the man he hired as executive director and whom the Italian has claimed decided to dismiss Ms Ward – and Leeds club secretary Stuart Hayton, recruited from Liverpool FC last year.

The governing body cannot start its investigation until June 10, when Ms Ward returns to court to be told the level of compensation she will receive from Leeds, as compensation for a unfair dismissal which has left her looking to rebuild her career – despite 11 years at Leeds’ Thorp Arch academy which has seen dozens of footballers credit her with a huge role in their development. With proceedings still legally active, FA officials will delay their trip to Leeds to interview all three until then.

From the 2013-14 season, The FA introduced a minimum five-match ban as standard punishment for sexual or racial discrimination, which would be considered an aggravated breach of FA Rule E3 (2). This approach is in line with Fifa regulations.

FA rules states that for anyone “engaging in discriminatory abuse the sanction will be a mandatory minimum five match suspension in all cases – this sanction may be increased depending on the specific facts of any case.” An FA spokesman said of the Ward case: "We can confirm we have contacted Lucy's legal people to discuss looking into the case. An investigation will begin in due course."

Blackpool owner Karl Oyston received a six-match stadium ban for discrimination against those with disability, in messages he posted on Twitter last year.

Cellino told the Independent last week that he had not made the “bedroom and beautician’s” statement. He said: "I didn't follow [the tribunal] actually,” he said. “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.”