FA bosses sacked me for swearing
12:11pm Thursday 22nd March 2007 in Sport By Nick Mashiter
Sacked Wiltshire U18s coach Mel Gingell
COUNTY youth coach Mel Gingell has hit back at FA bosses' claims that he was sacked for swearing at youngsters after a defeat.
Gingell, 62, was dismissed by the Wiltshire FA for using abusive language to players after his U18 side's 4-1 defeat to Hampshire three weeks ago. The setback almost certainly stopped them winning the title.
After a disciplinary hearing, at which Gingell was not present, he was told he would be dismissed by Wiltshire FA secretary Mike Benson.
Gingell said: "It is the biggest load of codswallop I have ever known and the biggest load of lies I have ever heard in my life.
"I would hold my hands up if it was something real - that would be fair - but it is not.
"How can anyone have any confidence in their judgement after this?
"If they have any decency the people who sacked me will resign because they know they have done wrong."
Gingell claims FA secretary Mike Benson came into the changing room after the game and he told him to leave, and believes this is why he was sacked.
"I told him to get out as he was not allowed in the changing room because it is not his job.I don't do his, so he shouldn't do mine," he said.
"He came across in a very, very angry manner in front of everyone and I was not having it so he went away in an aggressive frame of mind.
"There are some good people in the FA but they don't stand up to him, I did and look what happened. I stood up against him and got the sack."
Gingell, who guided the county's youth side to six cup finals in five years, says he has the backing of his players and backroom staff and was doing nothing new after the defeat.
"None of them said I swore, nobody from Hampshire complained," he said.
"No matter whether they win or lose, I always have a discussion with them afterwards," he said.
"I want the kids to do well and win the final, more than anything in the world."
He insists he was told he would be at his disciplinary meeting but was never invited to plead his case.
"They did not even have the guts to invite me there I have sent a letter asking for the minutes, but they haven't sent them to me," he said.
"I'm not saying I am the greatest but I did a damn good job and I did not deserve this."
Benson would not be drawn into discussing Gingell's departure except to say: "The County Matches Committee dismissed Mel for inappropriate behaviour following the match against Hamp-shire.
"I am not interested in what Mr Gingell has to say."
Gingell, from Coulston Road, Corsham, had been managing the side for five years, guiding them to six cup finals, including the South West County Cup final next month against Oxfordshire.
Wife Mary and sons Nicholas, 24, who lives in Lincolnshire and Craig, 26, who plays for Calne Town are equally upset for him.
"They are disappointed because of all the hard work I have put in. I would be out every night looking at football and travelling across Wiltshire," he said.
"If someone told me there was a good kid somewhere then I would have a look, no matter where he was."
The man who nurtured talents like former Chippenham Town player James Constable says he will take a break from te game.
"I have a grandson Toby who is five and I will also be able to watch Luke Hopper at Swindon who is my nephew," he said.
"Football is a great game but some people involved in it are not nice. The only reason I took it over because I was watching one of their games and they were 5-0 down. That shouldn't happen to a county like Wiltshire and when I took over they were a complete shambles."
Gingell, who managed Chippenham Town in the mid 1990s, has been sacked before, but never in these circumstances.
He said: "It was when I was with Chippenham, but that was for a bad run of results, nothing silly like this."
