Toni Minichiello has been given a lifetime ban by UK Athletics for sexually inappropriate conduct.
The former coach, who famously guided Jessica Ennis-Hill to gold at the London 2012 Olympics, will not be permitted to train athletes following an investigation, which revealed that he engaged in sexually inappropriate behaviour, emotional abuse and bullying.
Multiple breaches of trust were found across a 15-year period, with UK Athletics (UKA) labelling the findings as being of “the utmost seriousness”.
After being suspended last year before an investigation, Mr Minichiello has been found to have breached his coaching licence in numerous ways, according to the Independent Case Management Group (ICMG). The investigation found that Mr Minichiello:
1) Made inappropriate sexual references and gestures to athletes.
2) Failed to respect the athletes’ right to a private life by making intrusive enquiries and personal comments about their personal lives
3) Engaged in sexually physical behaviour, namely inappropriate and unwanted touching of athletes to whom he owed a duty of care
4) Engaged in inappropriate and sometimes aggressive behaviour, bullying and emotional abuse.
The statement added: “They amount to a large number of breaches of the UKA coach licence terms over a 15-year period. They constitute gross breaches of trust by Mr Minichiello which have had severe consequences for the mental health and mental wellbeing of the athletes under his charge.”
With Mr Minichiello’s coaching licence already expired, a suspension or sanction was not possible, but action has been taken in the form of not entertaining future applications for a UKA coach licence “in perpetuity”.
“It is noted that during the process of these disciplinary matters, Mr Minichiello’s coaching licence expired and therefore cannot be suspended/subject to a sanction,” UKA added.
“Therefore, UKA has decided that it will not entertain any future application made by Mr Minichiello for a UKA coach licence in perpetuity.
“The issuance of a UKA licence to a coach is essentially a representation on behalf of UKA that the coach in question can be trusted with the athletes under his charge,” it added. “UKA is firmly of the view that there will never be a time in the future at which it would be appropriate to grant that assurance and issue such a licence.”
Minichiello, who has always denied any wrongdoing, released a statement insisting he was “disappointed” at UK Athletics’ “unfair handling of this process”.
He added: “I strongly deny all the charges against me. I have been a coach for over 30 years and while I have been robust and demanding, I have not behaved inappropriately towards any of my athletes as very many of them would confirm. From the beginning, I cooperated with UK Athletics and the appointed Independent Investigator. Unfortunately, the investigation was one-sided. For example, I offered to provide UK Athletics with the names and contact details of 80 witnesses, including my then current training group. UK Athletics declined the list of those witnesses.
“While repeatedly requesting details as to how the investigation was being conducted, this was only provided by UK Athletics in a witness statement shortly before the hearing of this matter, over a year after my provisional suspension, raising serious questions regarding my ability to gain a fair hearing. Similarly, the tribunal failed to engage properly with the available evidence. For example, one of the most serious allegations was said to have taken place when I was, as a matter of fact, in a different country to the person making the allegations. The tribunal refused to admit my evidence on this point and found against me as a result.
“There were many instances of witnesses providing suspiciously similar answers to questions, including demonstrably incorrect ones, suggestive of collusion; again, the tribunal failed to appropriately address their minds to the important issue of collusion which was evident throughout significant parts of the evidence. There were also instances of witnesses breaching confidentiality to speak to each other during the course of the investigation, which the tribunal failed to address.
“It is very important that UK Athletics respond quickly and seriously to serious allegations of misconduct, especially when those allegations are made by young people. However, those investigations and tribunals need to be conducted carefully, with due process and fairly. I do not believe that I have been treated fairly in this instance. I would like to show my appreciation to the witnesses who came forward to support me, and also give my appreciation and complete understanding to the witnesses who wished to come forward to support me but were unable to do so being concerned by the possibility of negative repercussions for their future careers.”
