A top British Olympic high jump coach has been banned for three years for misconduct after accepting that he mocked a para-athlete as “Limp-foot Christie”, described a team doctor as a “fuckwit” and repeatedly used industrial language towards his athletes.
Fayaaz “Fuzz” Caan, who guided Robbie Grabarz to a silver medal at the London 2012 Games, also accepted a charge that he told his athletes “a story about a former high jumper who was caught having sex in a lift when the door opened”. However, he denied that it was inappropriate.
Caan, who was also a part-time actor with parts in Coronation Street, Doctors and Spooks, was due to appear at a disciplinary hearing on Thursday after his suspension on the eve of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
However, on Wednesday afternoon UK Athletics confirmed that all parties had accepted Caan would receive a backdated three-year sanction against him from 30 June 2021 to 29 June 2024.
The news came after Caan accepted a number of charges against him, including that he had made fun of disabled people by doing an impression where he walked with a limp, held his arm bent and made noises whilst sticking his tongue out. He also agreed that he had called a para-athlete “bad foot gay” and “fat and slow”.
Caan also acknowledged that he used phrases such as “I cannot believe what he is fucking doing” and “I have driven all this fucking way to be here for this fucking idiot” in a loud voice in front of a number of other people, including parents, other athletes and spectators.
On another occasion he told a different athlete: “I don’t give a shit that you are crying, I couldn’t care” and “your run up is shit, why are you doing it like that.”
In an agreed decision released by UK Athletics, Caan accepted that he “inappropriately swore and used industrial language” and that he “failed to act with dignity and to display courtesy and good manners”.
Caan also accepted that he had described a British Athletics doctor as a “fuckwit” and a team physiotherapist as “a fucking nightmare” who “doesn’t know shit”. He also said that his line manager “didn’t have a clue”.
However, he denied saying to an athlete “if you get an eating disorder, I am going to kick you out of the group” or that “all Scottish people smell of piss”.
After the verdict Caan, who had been due to coach Morgan Lake and Emily Borthwick in Tokyo, said that he had not been offered sufficient line management support whilst employed by UK Athletics. He also alleged that the organisation “placed extreme pressure on him to continue producing international medal-winning performances without providing sufficient/appropriate support”.
In response, UK Athletics said it was taking positive steps to ensure positive cultures were in place. “Producing high-performing athletes should not come at the cost of the emotional or physical health of participants in the sport, including coaches,” it added.
Caan’s suspension means another medal-winning coach from London 2012 has been banned, following on from Mo Farah’s former coach, Alberto Salazar, and Toni Minichiello, who guided Jessica Ennis to Olympic heptathlon gold. He is now a consultant at the Saudi Olympic Training Centre.
