A Rugby Football Union (RFU) council member has resigned from his role after making a sexist remark on social media about England World Cup winner Maggie Alphonsi.
The comment was in relation to Alphonsi working as a pundit for ITV during England’s 48-46 Six Nations defeat at France on March 14.
During her appearance on the broadcast, Matthew Smith took to Facebook to write: ‘Can someone explain to me WTF does Maggie Alphonsi know about men’s rugby.’
Smith, who represented Warwickshire on the 62-strong body of RFU council members, faced a code of conduct case as a result of his social-media post.
The case against him was heard on May 14 by an independent panel chaired by Richard Whittam KC, and comprising Judith Duffin and Tim Naylor.
Smith accepted both charges against him of publishing a discriminatory post, and acting in a manner contrary to the RFU media policy as it could cause damage to the game and is likely to impact on the reputation of the RFU.
A Rugby Football Union council member has resigned from his role after making a sexist remark on social media about Maggie Alphonsi
Alphonsi won 74 caps for England and was part of their 2014 World Cup winning team
In light of his punishment, he was slapped with the strongest possible sanctions which saw him stripped of his position, suspended of council privileges and loss of other perks such as tickets to England games, free meals and travel expenses.
The RFU does not have the power to remove council members, who are volunteers elected by their clubs rather than RFU employees. However, the unpaid positions come with hospitality benefits which for England men’s Tests, are worth several hundreds of pounds for each fixture. Famously in 1995, the RFU council was described by then-England captain Will Carling as ’57 old farts’. On Tuesday, Smith stepped down.
A Warwickshire RFU statement read: ‘We would like to announce that Matt Smith has resigned from his position as chair of Warwickshire RFU, in light of a recent disciplinary process.
‘We want to be clear that we take issues of sexism and misogyny seriously.’
Since his actions, Smith has sent an apology to Alphonsi – who has lamented the ordeal that she has had to deal with.
In a statement last week, the 2014 World Cup winner noted: ‘This incident has had greater ramifications on myself. What is often overlooked is the impact on those targeted. I now have to speak publicly about this, knowing it will lead to further misogyny and sexism from others who share these views. I will be continually forced to revisit this which will cause further frustration and distress.
‘I am so very disappointed by both the incident and the outcome. Sexism and misogyny still exist within rugby and must be challenged whenever they occur. Most concerning is that Mr Smith remains in a position of influence. He accepted the incident and apologised for making his views public, but not for holding those views.
‘Sadly, many women working in sport continue to face criticism simply for commentating, reporting, presenting, analysing or sharing opinions. I am not the first to experience this, and I will not be the last. Too often, these comments become accepted as part of the job. They should not be.
‘I had the privilege of serving in the role as an RFU council member for nine years representing the men’s and women’s game. Sadly, this incident reminds me that the RFU council is outdated and needs modernising. To be appointed a council member is not an award for time served in the game. It’s a position of influence and holds significant governance responsibilities.
‘I do not support Mr Smith’s continuation as a council member and believe he should be replaced. And I will continue to speak out until women and girls in rugby no longer have to endure harmful and discriminatory comments.’
In his public apology, Smith said: ‘I wholeheartedly apologise for the Facebook post that was made on Saturday 14th March, I shouldn’t have shared my view online and apologise if this has caused any offence to anyone. Once I realised my error of judgement I immediately removed the post on the Saturday night/early hours Sunday morning.
‘I can assure you that I had no intent of causing any offence and that unfortunately I made an error of judgement which was hampered by personal stress and anxiety.’
