Football physio called ‘Posh Spice’ €21,000 payment by her boss

A pregnant football club physio dubbed ‘Posh Spice’ by her boss has won almost £20,000 in a discrimination claim, writes Andy Dolan.

Richard Bartlett he was found to have “deep-seated attitude problems in managing women” after a group heard him nickname Sarah Halton and another hire after the Spice Girls’ Posh and Baby Spice.

Ms Halton, 35, clashed with the head of football operations at National League club Barnet FC within weeks of starting work at the north London club in 2019.

He told a Watford employment tribunal hearing: “I think the problem started when she started being managed by someone and because I was starting to challenge some of the decisions she was making, it started to become a bit sour”.

Ms Halton was cleared by her GP and has not returned to work.

She wrote to the club’s HR consultant and said “I don’t feel I can go back to work with Mr Bartlett”.

She later said she accepted that the names were “probably meant as a joke, but there’s always a deeper meaning behind everything”.

Labor Judge Robin Lewis said: “The nicknames Posh Spice and Baby Spice… did not refer to the person’s actual name or actual appearance.”

The tribunal said the mother-to-be launched a lengthy complaint against her employers, which was rejected by the club’s investigator.

She resigned in December 2020 and now works at Essex club Southend Utd.

Ms Halton’s claims of sex discrimination, pregnancy discrimination, constructive unfair dismissal and victimization were upheld and she was awarded £18,152 (€21,303) in damages.

Photo: Sarah Halton. Facebook