Burnley consultant warned over social media conduct

A player care consultant at Burnley has received a warning from the Football Association about her conduct on social media.

Anti-racism campaigners Kick It Out received a complaint on 4 January about Laura Wolfe reposting and liking material on X, formerly Twitter, regarding the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict.

It was passed on to the FA who looked into the matter and subsequently issued the warning for her social media activity.

In a memo sent to Kick It Out, which has been seen by BBC Sport, Burnley confirmed they had investigated the matter internally.

The club also said they would review their diversity and social media policies as well as training for staff and contractors.

The outcome of the FA investigation was sent to Kick It Out on 16 April, though no public comment was made on the matter until Wednesday.

The FA declined to comment but it is understood they issue warnings and/or reminders of responsibilities on a regular basis in relation to a wide range of alleged misconduct.

Wolfe and Burnley failed to respond when contacted for a statement.

Activity on an X account under Wolfe’s name appeared to ‘like’ a post which stated “Palestinians are an invented people” and “were created to be the biggest Jew haters on Earth”, while she also appeared to ‘like’ a comment which stated “good riddance” to a poet that had been killed in Gaza.

Burnley's investigation found "on the balance of probability" that there was "insufficient evidence to substantiate" the allegations against Wolfe were "Islamophobic or discriminatory on the grounds of race or religion".

The club also told Kick It Out there was insufficient evidence to establish that Wolfe's activity on X brought "Burnley Football Club into disrepute".

As well as her work as a consultant for Burnley, Wolfe is described on a business platform as having high-profile clients in the sports industry and as the owner of the Northwest Football Awards.

She ran former Clarets boss Vincent Kompany's testimonial year while he was playing at Manchester City and lists Kick It Out as a client on her events website.

Kick It Out said in a statement to BBC Sport the FA "formally" warned "a contractor at a club about their social media activity".

The organisation added: "From the outset, we passed the allegations to the FA and the club, and kept the complainant informed, as is our normal policy.

"As the ongoing conflict in Israel and Gaza continues, we urge all those involved in football to be cautious with their social media engagement, which could endorse words or have impacts that we do not intend."