English football is facing a racism storm, following the publication of a report into the abuse and discrimination black and Asian referees face.
Racism in the Football Association's refereeing system is undermining efforts by black and Asian people to reach the highest levels of the game, according to a dossier of evidence compiled by match officials, reports The Observer.
It alleges that racist comments were allegedly made by the observers who assess referees for promotion to the higher leagues - and the FA is now facing calls for an urgent inquiry.
The chief executive of anti-racism charity Kick it Out, Tony Burnett, said: “The lack of diversity in refereeing is our biggest failure in football. Black and Asian people are not getting through to elite refereeing.”
The Observer says that its investigation found that
- There are no black or Asian referees in the Premier League or Championship
The FA’s referee committee tasked with improving diversityhas no black or Asian representatives
It also claims that referees are blocked by a small number of white assessors from reaching the highest levels.
An FA spokesperson said: “We remain committed to ensuring the diversity of those playing, coaching, officiating and leading English football is truly reflective of our modern society.
"As part of this, within the 2018-2021 national game strategy we set inclusion targets across the game for the first time.”
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