The Football Association chairman, Greg Dyke, has been criticised after comments he made on BBC’s Newsnight programme on Thursday night when he appeared to describe convicted rapist Ched Evans’ potential return to football as “not an important issue”.
Dyke, who had been invited on the programme to talk about Fifa’s World Cup corruption report, had been asked whether it was right that Sheffield United are considering re-signing the Wales international after his release from prison.
“I don’t really want to talk about Ched Evans. I think it’s a much more complicated story than to have in five minutes here,” said Dyke.
“Here’s the straightforward question: are people who go to prison entitled to come out of prison and to try to rebuild their lives or aren’t they? Or is what they’ve done so bad because they’re in an industry where their image is important? And that’s the dilemma. It’s a dilemma and it’s not clear cut.”
Asked where he stood on that debate of that argument, the FA chairman said: “It’s not an important issue. It is an important issue but not in terms of what we, we’re here, and what you asked me to come on and talk about.
“When you phoned me up and asked me to come on here tonight, you asked me to talk about [the World Cup report] and not to talk about Ched Evans.”
Those comments provoked condemnation on social media sites, with a tweet from the official account of the End Violence Against Women Coalition saying: “Greg Dyke: football corruption is an important issue, rape isn’t”.
Greg Dyke: football corruption is an important issue, rape isn't. https://t.co/lUoVafi4N1 #chedevans #newsnight
— EVAW Coalition (@EVAWhd) November 14, 2014
Dyke was also asked about the limited edition Parmigiani watches worth more than £16,000 which were given as a gift to the 28 officials on Fifa’s ruling executive committee at the World Cup in Brazil but reiterated that he intends to donate it to a breast cancer charity.
“The watch has been sitting in my office ever since,” he said.
“We’re not here to talk about the watch but we could do. I’ve given it to a breast cancer charity in this country and Fifa are still arguing about whether I can do that.”
Asked if he had actually donated the watch, he added: “That’s what I intend to do.”
