Amid growing calls for urgent reform of the FA in the wake of the Eni Aluko affair, Labour has declared it has “lost confidence” in the leadership of English football’s governing body and called for decisive action.
The criticism came as FA board members prepared to conduct an emergency conference-call on Thursday to discuss the futures of the under-fire triumvirate Greg Clarke, Martin Glenn and Dan Ashworth.
Dr Rosena Allin-Khan MP, the shadow sport minister, joined Kick it Out, Gary Lineker and the sport minister Tracey Crouch in demanding the FA heeds the lessons from a furore that finally ended with the 102-cap England player Aluko being vindicated in parliament on Wednesday.
“It is clear the leadership of the Football Association is incapable of dealing with allegations of bullying and racism,” Allin-Khan told the Guardian. “After hearing the evidence and the lack of accountability shown, I have lost confidence in the FA’s leadership team. The senior leadership team at the FA need to have a long, hard look at themselves and the board need to act quickly and decisively to take the FA in a new direction.”
Crouch said: “I hope the FA learns lessons from this whole sorry saga to ensure that all in the sport and the wider public have faith in their processes and procedures. We have been clear that we expect world-leading standards of governance from all our national sports’ governing bodies.” The FA did respond by confirming it would investigate the England Women’s goalkeeping coach Lee Kendall following, it said, “new evidence that came to light on Wednesday alleging unacceptable behaviour towards Eniola Aluko during an England camp”. Kendall was accused of regularly speaking to Aluko in a fake Caribbean accent during the evidence presented before the digital, culture, sport and media committee. The Guardian understands Kendall may even be sent home before Friday’s game against France in Valenciennes.
Lord Herman Ouseley, the chairman of Kick it Out, echoed Allin-Khan’s remarks. “The FA’s board should be considering as a matter of urgency the implication of Eni Aluko’s case,” he said. “They should ask who is responsible for the fiasco, who is culpable and whether they should be disciplined. The bottom line is they should be building trust and confidence that the FA can be a governing body for all of football, that people of whatever background can bring forward a criticism or a grievance and do so without threat of victimisation or being penalised.”
Ouseley stopped short of calling for the removal of the FA chief executive, Glenn, or the chairman, Clarke, both of whom are believed to retain the support of the FA board despite their humiliation in parliament. Ouseley’s sentiment was shared by Piara Powar, executive director of Football Against Racism in Europe. “I don’t think multiple changes of leadership have a good effect,” Powar said. “We’ve had three or four chairmen in the past decade and they have all faced the same problems; the power struggle within football, bringing about good governance and transparency and keeping up with the expectation of a sport that attracts the attention of everyone in England.
“The FA appears to be governed by a culture of spin, with an answer to everything but no solutions. There is a need for a change of culture but, I would add, also in change of perspective. Clearly they need a Chief Diversity Officer who can drive forward change in all areas of diversity.”
On Twitter, Gary Lineker observed: “Instead of trying to silence Eni Aluko, the FA should give this impressive young woman a voice to change things from within the institution.”
Who is on the FA Board?
Non-executive chairman: Greg Clarke
Became the independent chairman of the FA in August 2016 and spent six years as chairman of the Football League, prior to which he was on the board and then chairman of Leicester City.
Executive director: Martin Glenn, chief executive officer
Named the FA’s chief executive officer in March 2015; also a former Leicester City non-executive director, having sat on the club’s board between 2002 and 2006. He sits on the Women’s Football Board and Finance Sub-Committee.
National Game Representatives
Robert Cotter
Appointed on to the FA Board in 2016, having been appointed to the FA Council in 2009 as representative of Northamptonshire County FA. He is a member of the National Game Board.
Mervyn Leggett
Appointed on to the board in 2010 and is a vice-president of The FA, having previously been appointed on to the FA Council as the representative for Worcestershire County FA in 1992. He is chairman of the National Game Board and also serves on Women’s Football Board, Women’s Committee.
Jack Pearce
Appointed on to the board in 2015, having been appointed as a divisional representative on the FA Council in 2001. Also a board member of the National League and a council member of Sussex County FA.
Professional Game representatives
Peter McCormick OBE
Appointed on to the board and council in August 2015 as a representative of the Premier League and also serves on the Professional Game Board and Remuneration Committee. Was chairman of the Premier League in 2014/15.
Jim Rodwell
Appointed on to the board in 216 as a representative of the English Football League and has served on the FA Council since 2014. Also a member of the Professional Game Board. He has been a board director of the English Football League since 2015.
Independent Non-Executive Directors
Roger Devlin
Appointed on to the board in 2012; he has been a financial adviser to a number of Premier League clubs and serves on the FA’s Group Audit Committee and Finance Sub-Committee.
