Danny Senda

In June 2023, DS travelled with a cohort of coaches who were all taking part in a
course. The course participants included Complainant A and Complainant B.

On the evening in June 2023, DS went to socialise at a local bar with a number of
other participants on the course. DS states that he remembers consuming alcohol
whilst at the bar. Complainant A and Complainant B arrived at the bar with a small
group of others some time after DS. Neither Complainant A nor Complainant B knew
DS prior to studying on the course, and neither of them had spent any time with him
on the course outside of group discussions.

Complainant A states that at some point after arriving at the bar, DS approached her
and pulled her towards him. DS then proceeded to put his left arm around the back
of her right shoulder and put his other hand down the front of her shorts. He placed
his hand inside of her shorts “roughly up to the palm of his hand” so that his fingers
were also inside her shorts.

Complainant A pushed DS’s arm away and said, “what the f**k are you doing?”. DS
responded by putting one hand on Complainant A’s back and the other on her arm
and said, “you’re Dam coming back to my room”. Complainant A responded by
saying “No I’m Dam not” and removed his arms from hers.

It is clear from what Complainant A describes that DS perpetrated a criminal, sexual
assault on her. His motivation is clear, not only because of the obviously intimate
area that he chose to touch, but also because of the words spoken.

Complainant A describes herself as being shocked and stunned by DS’s actions. She
asked if she could sit with a colleague who she recognised on the course to make
sure she was safe, and then explained to them what had happened. Two other
colleagues approached Complainant A to ask whether she was ok. Complainant A
began to cry and stood up to leave to avoid others seeing her upset.

As Complainant A stood up to leave, she saw DS “grab hold of” Complainant B and
place his arms around her. Complainant B describes this same incident. She said she
felt someone’s hands come from behind her, rest upon her chest and place one hand
on each of her breasts. She turned around and saw that it was DS; his face was very
close to hers and he said words to the effect of “you’re coming back to mine tonight”.
Complainant B walked away from DS, and followed Complainant A who she spotted
leaving the bar.

It is clear from what Complainant B describes that DS also perpetrated a criminal,
sexual assault on her. Again, his motivation is clear, not only because of the obviously
intimate area that he chose to touch, but also because of the words spoken.

Complainant A and Complainant B walked back to the hotel together, with two other
colleagues and discussed what had happened. On arriving back at the hotel,
Complainant A and Complainant B attempted to contact their course tutors to make
them aware of what happened, but they were unable to get through.

The following morning, both Complainant A and Complainant B reported the two
incidents to one of the course tutors who escalated the matter to the lead tutor. DS
was then spoken to by the course tutors and was asked to leave the course and
return home. DS requested to meet with Complainant A and Complainant B to
apologise for his actions, which he did. All parties described being upset and
emotional during the apology. DS flew back home later that day.

Complainant A and Complainant B made formal complaints to The FA following the
incident. DS was interviewed by The FA on 26 July 2023. He stated he had no
recollection of committing the offences, which he ascribed to his consumption of
alcohol, but did not deny committing them. DS continues to maintain that he has no
recollection of the events.

Complainant A and Complainant B were asked whether they wished to report the
matter to the police and stated that they did not. However, due to the incident taking
place abroad, the UK authorities would have had no jurisdiction over the incident in
any event.

Both Complainant A and Complainant B have provided further statements detailing
the impact of the incidents on them.

Complainant A describes feeling a sense of guilt for reporting the incident and says
she feels there are still issues for women in football in many areas of the game. She
states that she felt she had to earn the respect of her male counterparts on the
course and believed she had done so. She says she told DS during his apology that
she had never been made to feel as bad as he had made her feel in her entire career.
She also expressed concern about the impact that reporting the incident might have
on her future career prospects.

With respect to the apology, Complainant A states she felt ‘railroaded’ into this, and
it made her feel worse. She says she felt the apology was focused on DS and the
impact on him, as opposed to her and Complainant B.

DS submits that both women accepted his apology. He advances this as part of his
mitigation. Complainant A does not agree with DS’s assertion that she accepted his
apology and recognised that this was ‘out of character’ for him.

Complainant B also expressed feeling concerned about the impact that reporting the
incident might have on her future career, as well as how other people in the game
might perceive her.

She states that there were only 3 females on the course (including her and
Complainant A), and that at the time of the incident, the other female was not
present. Complainant B states that she feels it is important for her to report the
incident so that this does not happen to anyone else, and so that other women in the
game feel safe in a male-dominated environment.

Complainant B also describes DS’s apology as causing her to feel sorry for him rather
than concerned for herself. She states that she didn’t accept the apology for what
had happened but appreciated the apology gesture.

Although the panel accepts that this was not DS’s intention, the apology (a situation
both women felt forced into) seems to have worsened the impact of DS’s actions