WHITE DECAMPS TO OZ AMID CV QUERIES

Johnny White is out as Plymouth Raiders head coach as the club is hit with further controversy.

A BBC report claims details of White’s previous employment in his native Australia, which suggested he was previously an assistant at NBL side Melbourne Tigers, were false and thus did not meet the required level needed to obtain a UK work permit.

Although the Raiders confirmed on Thursday that he is no longer in charge , MVP understands management had already made approaches to potential replacements prior to the revelations.

White joined last summer to take over from compatriot Daryl Corletto but has insisted he would return next season despite Plymouth’s failure to make the BBL Playoffs. The club insist White was recommended by Corletto and told the BBC they had not even Googled him before making the appointment.

The now-former coach, who has already returned Down Under, did not comment on the allegations but it adds to the sense of disarray at the Devon outfit following one of the most under-achieving league seasons in recent history, blighted by a failing doping test from their leading scorer Anton Grady.

On Friday, Raiders issued a statement on the matter amid concerns that the White affair could come under investigation from the Home Office and impact on their ability to sign non-EU players in the future.

“After the BBC questioned the validity of the information used by our former head coach Jonathan White on his visa application for the 2016-17 season, we can confirm:

– We stuck rigidly to the criteria laid down by Basketball England in order to obtain a Governing Body Endorsement (a ‘GBE’ is required in order to be able to apply for a visa) for Mr White.

– Our background checks on Mr White included a letter from the Chief Executive of the Melbourne Tigers, clearly stating that he was employed in an Assistant Coach role with the club last summer.

– This, together with the Level 2 Coach Award that he obtained in April here in the UK, formed the backbone of the GBE application.

– Basketball England further confirmed Mr White’s role with Melbourne Tigers through discussions with the Tigers themselves and Basketball Australia.

We are now looking forward to recruiting a new head coach for the 2017-18 season.”