D'Arcy Waldegrave: Sportstalk host on the allegations against Football Ferns coach Jitka Klimkova

The Professional Footballers' Association is standing with the governing body regarding alleged inappropriate behaviour by outgoing coach Jitka Klimkova towards a player.

Newstalk ZB understands a number of players were dissatisfied with New Zealand Football's handling of the employment-related matter.

The incident, which the players say happened during last year's World Cup, resulted in an independent investigation.

Sportstalk host D'Arcy Waldegrave unpacks the controversy.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Darcy Warder, Grave host of Sports Talkers with Me, Hello.

Speaker 2 (00:02):
Darce, Hello Heather.

Speaker 1 (00:04):
So turns out there's not a lot of love for
l Yitka clan. I'm so worried about getting it wrong
with you now because you're worried about I'm the only.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
One that says Clink. Except it doesn't matter talking about her,
Aren't they the people that are right because the the
players that have talked about and the player concerned, they
won't go public. So in esence, no one's really talking about.

Speaker 1 (00:29):
Her at all, because did she actually do well? This
is it.

Speaker 2 (00:33):
No one wants to go to record to say that,
so no one can back that up and go well
she did this because he's been legal ramifications around. If
you say stuff, well I know some things, but I
can't say them, I'll get rolled. So and then you've
got New Zealand football and not wanted to say And
then Whi's no surprise there, that's what you get, Clink
of not saying anything. There we go again.

Speaker 1 (00:56):
So Darcy, Okay, So, at one end of the scale
of what you could do to a player, you can
punch them in the face and render them unconscious. At
the other end of the scale of what you could
do to a player is maybe you playfully tap them
on the bottom or something like that. But what's your
end of the scale are we're talking about here? Is
it the lighter or the heavier?

Speaker 2 (01:13):
Well, it depends on if you're the person that received
whatever it was. But because some people are not sial.

Speaker 1 (01:20):
Knowledge what is well, I don't know how.

Speaker 2 (01:23):
I don't know how an athlete would respond to their
coach in a situation such as that. I know that
around here in the Okay, I'll carry the office right
if I was to come up and give you a
big cuddle, you probably wouldn't take me to HR.

Speaker 1 (01:38):
Well, I think, I mean it's a possibility. Now, let's
see what you mean.

Speaker 2 (01:43):
Yeah, And so we don't know because we don't know
what has been put in place for the athletes around protocol,
around the coach and the ethnics. Look, it might be
something as insignificant as a cuddle. Yes, so the reason
you touched me, you don't touch it.

Speaker 1 (01:57):
Let's go there. The reason I'm asking you this question
is because what I've heard is that it is something
as insignificant as a cuddle, in which case I'm wondering
why on Earth, a group full of women have reacted
like this.

Speaker 2 (02:08):
Okay, So I would say if it is something as
an I don't know exactly how insignificant it seems. If
it was, then maybe Yetka wasn't like there's a coach
and that was a trigger to move her on. Is
that an idea? Yes, again, because no one talks and

(02:28):
no one knows the effect that's had and what's driven it.
As I've always said, when you have a vacuum, what happens?

Speaker 1 (02:37):
It feels like a viper's nest in That doesn't it?

Speaker 2 (02:39):
It really does. It doesn't feel good the way.

Speaker 1 (02:42):
Too much estrogen in there.

Speaker 2 (02:43):
Say Bonnie Jansen. Credit to her. She's been running around
harassing people left, right and center, making all the moves.

Speaker 1 (02:50):
So harassing them consensually. They spoke to her, so they
didn't hate it nicely. But MCL injury for Jordi Barrett
sounds serious.

Speaker 2 (03:00):
Any injury to your knee is quite serious, isn't. Although
cameroy guard's on his way back, looks like he've been
joining the camp after blowing his picteller, I think it
was on he cracks, So no MCL for Jordie four
to eight weeks. Nothing official yet, but he won't be around,
but it's gonna be what another month before they head
on tour, so got a while to see what they

(03:21):
can do with that. Sorely mist He's been one of
the better players in the backlay, more consistent and reliable
players in the back line. And also it's his home test.
You know, he knows how to carve off the meters
at Wellington. So it's a bit sad. I don't see
them making massive changes in the midfield. I really don't.

(03:42):
Billy Proctor is hanging around as a center. Maybe he
comes on the bench, I think, but I don't think
they're going to move Rico Yoani. You don't want that
much distraction in the midfield, especially when your first five
eight still trying to work out which ways up.

Speaker 1 (03:56):
I mean, oh Jesus sorry, you don't need that distraction,
like we're going to miss Jordi Barrett. Now that we
realize the Wallabies are actually a great squad, I.

Speaker 2 (04:04):
Wouldn't call them a great squad. I wouldn't tell you
what now.

Speaker 1 (04:08):
What they're doing.

Speaker 2 (04:09):
Yes, the Wallabies are doing like the rest of the world.
They're going, oh wow, the unbeatable all blacks are. They're amazing.
I just let them score twenty points in the first
twenty minutes.

Speaker 1 (04:16):
We'll rub them down on me. It doesn't matter. They
know that now, Yeah, and the all.

Speaker 2 (04:21):
Blacks know that. People know that. They know.

Speaker 1 (04:24):
They're all freaking out about it when it.

Speaker 2 (04:26):
Gives it makes this so much more interesting.

Speaker 1 (04:29):
Hey, Darcy, thank you appreciate it.

Speaker 2 (04:30):
This.

Speaker 1 (04:31):
Darcy Wardgrove hosts of Sports Talk seven o'clock this evening
for twenty two. For more from Heather Duplessy Allen Drive,
listen live to news talks it'd be from four pm weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.