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International Football

FA Chair Greg Clarke Promises To Quit If Council's Racial Diversity Does Not Improve

FA Chair Greg Clarke "made the promise to quit," just seven months after taking over, "if the governing body does not finally deliver on demands to reform its predominantly white, male-dominated, 122-strong council," according to Sam Wallace of the London TELEGRAPH. Clarke made the pledge two days before MPs debate in Parliament on Thursday "whether the FA, should it remain unreformed, is fit for purpose -- the most direct attack on the governing body in its history." It "raises the spectre of the FA being forced to reform via legislation" which would have implications for the relationship with FIFA and "theoretically could see England forced to pull out of 2018 World Cup finals qualifying." Clarke's move was "intended to head off that debate with the FA hierarchy confident that despite repeated failed attempts by previous regimes, including Clarke's predecessor Greg Dyke, it can deliver the reform." Clarke said that the FA is not "sitting idly by" but has a reform program ready to be "ratified" by councilors, although the details of it have not yet been made public. He said, "Change won’t be easy, but I am confident it will happen -- and it will be substantial" (TELEGRAPH, 2/7). In London, Martyn Ziegler reported Clarke issued a "lengthy statement" saying that modernization "is critical for the future of football." His statement read, "Delivering real change is my responsibility and I firmly believe this is critical for the future of the game. If the government is not supportive of the changes, I will take personal responsibility for that. I will have failed. I will be accountable for that failure and would in due course step down from my role" (LONDON TIMES, 2/8). REUTERS' Martyn Herman reported Sports Minister Tracey Crouch wants the FA "to be more transparent and diverse." Currently, there is "only one woman on its 12-person board, while its 120-member council has been accused of being antiquated and resistant to change." Thursday's debate is taking place after five former FA execs said that the governing body was "outdated and not representative of the sport in Britain" (REUTERS, 2/8).

UNDER PRESSURE: The PA's Matt Slater reported Culture, Media & Sport Select Committee Chair Damian Collins "secured a backbench debate" in the Houses of Commons to consider a "no confidence" motion on the FA's ability to reform itself. Whether the motion "will be voted on or not depends on the Speaker of the House John Bercow but the debate will effectively start the lobbying process for a draft bill on FA reform that the CMS committee is preparing." In a press release to announce the debate, Collins said that Crouch had "given the FA, and other national governing bodies, until the end of March to meet a new governance code or risk losing public funding." Collins: "We do not believe the FA will comply voluntarily: it can survive easily without the government's contribution of money to grassroots sport, and there are powerful vested interests that refuse to accept the right of all those involved in football to play a role in the governance of the sport" (PA, 2/8).

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