FA boss resigns in ‘coloured’ row
CLARKE CRITICISED FOR COMMENTS TO MPS ABOUT BLACK AND ASIAN PLAYERS, WOMEN FOOTBALLERS AND GAY PEOPLE
GREG Clarke yesterday resigned as chairman of the Football Association in the wake of his remarks to MPs.
Clarke had earlier been forced to apologise after he used the word “coloured” among other controversial comments at a Digital, Culture, Media and Sport committee hearing.
The FA said: “We can confirm that Greg Clarke has stepped down from his role as our chairman.
“Peter McCormick will step into the role as interim FA chairman with immediate effect and the FA Board will begin the process of identifying and appointing a new chairman in due course.”
Clarke was criticised by antidiscrimination group Kick It Out after saying that black and South Asian people had “different career interests” from each other, and also drew complaints for saying a coach had told him that the lack of women’s goalkeepers was due to girls not liking the ball being kicked at them.
Stonewall UK was among those who condemned Clarke when he insinuated that being gay was a “life choice”.
Clarke’s remarks came two weeks after the FA launched a new diversity code, which aims to ensure more candidates from ethnic minorities can land top jobs.
The FA said: “We would also like to reaffirm that, as an organisation, we are absolutely committed to doing everything we can to promote diversity, address inequality and tackle all forms of discrimination in the game.”
The purpose of the FA chief appearing before the committee had been to discuss the governance of the game, particularly related to the financial rescue package from the Premier League to the EFL and also the recent revelations of his involvement in Project Big Picture discussions. But Clarke ended up creating a new storm for English football with a series of controversial remarks.
In a statement on the FA’s website, Clarke said: “As a person who loves football and has given decades of service to our game, it is right that I put the interests of football first.
“2020 has been a challenging year and I have been actively considering standing down for some time to make way for a new chairman now our CEO transition is complete and excellent executive leadership under Mark Bullingham is established.
“My unacceptable words in front of Parliament were a disservice to our game and to those who watch, play, referee and administer it. This has crystallised my resolve to move on.
“I am deeply saddened that I have offended those diverse communities in football that I and others worked so hard to include.
“I would like to thank my friends and colleagues in the game for the wisdom and counsel they have shared over the years and resign from the FA with immediate effect.”
Sanjay Bhandari, executive chairman at Kick It Out, said: “I was particularly concerned by the use of lazy racist stereotypes about South Asians and their supposed career preferences.
“It reflects similar lazy stereotypes I have heard have spouted at club academy level.
“Being gay is not a ‘life choice’ as he claimed, too. The casual sexism of saying girls do not like balls hit at them hard is staggering from anyone, let alone the leader of our national game. It is completely unacceptable.”