In a surprising ruling, an employment judge has confirmed that football fans can be denied a job if their support for a rival team is deemed a threat to office harmony. The case involved Russian applicant Maia Kalina, who claimed she lost out on a role at marketing agency Digitas LBI because she would struggle to socialise at the pub, a key part of office culture, due to depression and cultural differences.
Judge Daniel Wright, presiding over the Croydon hearing, dismissed Ms Kalina’s claims of race and disability discrimination. He ruled that employers are allowed to consider whether a prospective employee “fits” with the team, including shared interests and social habits.
He explained: “There may be times when it is perfectly lawful for an employer to decide that somebody just will not be a fit with the team and that therefore it would be difficult to work together. An example of this could be a small company where everybody supports Arsenal, and they choose an Arsenal fan over a Tottenham supporter to avoid damaging office harmony. The decision may be lawful, albeit not necessarily good for business.”
Ms Kalina was one of the final two candidates, but interviewers said they “vibed” more with the other applicant, ultimately selecting the candidate they felt was a better cultural fit for the team.
