Kick It Out apologise to Brighton

Anti-discrimination campaigners Kick It Out have issued an unreserved apology to Brighton following comments by head of development Troy Townsend concerning the departure of Chris Hughton.The Seagulls achieved Premier League survival for the second season under Hughton, but he was sacked a day after their campaign ended with a 4-1 home defeat which saw Manchester City crowned champions.Despite reaching the FA Cup semi-final, Hughtons side managed just two league wins since the start of the year as they finished 17th, only two points clear of Cardiff in the final relegation place.Speaking to The Daily Telegraph in reaction to Hughtons dismissal, Townsend said the drive for more minority ethnic (BAME) coaches to be given opportunities was now at worse than square one.On Wednesday, Kick It Out moved to draw a line under the row.A statement read: Kick It Out have unreservedly apologised to Brighton Hove Albion FC, its chairman Tony Bloom, and the clubs board of directors and staff for any inference in comments made in an interview in the Daily Telegraph by Troy Townsend, the organisations Head of Development, that the clubs dismissal of Chris Hughton as its first team manager on Monday was in any way linked to his ethnicity and also for the impact the comments have had on the clubs reputation and the reputation of its senior officials.Kick It Out and Troy Townsend fully accept that through its current employment of BAME coaches at senior levels, and the clubs long term engagement with, and support for Kick It Outs various campaigns and events, Brighton Hove Albion FC has fully demonstrated its commitment to eradicating discrimination of all types, and consistently provided opportunities for BAME coaches.Nobody at Kick It Out will make any further comment on this matter.Swansea boss Swansea manager Graham Potter is being widely reported as the man expected to take over at Brighton for next season.(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
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