FA Chair Greg Clarke has "spoken to gay footballers about the possibility of coming out," according to Henry Winter of the LONDON TIMES. Clarke said that he "hoped to orchestrate it so that several players came out together to share the spotlight, and suggested that Gareth Southgate’s successor as England manager could be drawn from the black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) community." Clarke said, "I put the message out there that if a number of top-level pros want to come out, why don’t we synchronize it? So one person doesn’t have to come out on their own. The Premier League, the Football League and the FA could do it at the start of the season. At the start of the season everybody thinks it is their season, the crowds are happy, the sun is shining. I was asked [recently] if football is ready for top-level pros to come out and I said I’m not sure we were." He added, "I’ve been asking the gay community, ‘How can we provide more support and orchestrate it so that people get the right level of support if people want to be open about their sexuality?’ I’ve met 15 gay sports people in the last four weeks to ask their views, including footballers." Clarke also said that the next England manager "might come from the BAME community." He said, "I can see a black England manager." Regarding League Championship side Brighton & Hove Manager Chris Hughton, the former Ireland int'l born in east London, Clarke replied, "Why not? It would be wonderful to see a black England manager. it would put us forward 20 years" (LONDON TIMES, 1/9).
