Football equality organization Kick It Out Chair Herman Ouseley criticized the FA's planned reforms, "branding them unfair and superficial," according to Aarons & Dobson of the London GUARDIAN. On Monday, the FA outlined its "vision for the future" -- in response to the House of Commons passing a no confidence motion in the governing body last month. Those plans "failed to impress" Ouseley, who said that "they failed to address black and minority ethnic representation." Ouseley said, "These reforms will no doubt satisfy those who are making demands on the FA, such as the department for Culture, Media & Sport Select Committee, Sport England and UK Sport, but these long-overdue reforms won't satisfy minority groups. By prioritizing women on boards, all other protected groups are being left behind. ... The same people still run the main authorities and professional clubs. Until we see real change and inclusion in these positions of power, changes are likely to just be superficial" (GUARDIAN, 3/6). In London, Ben Rumsby reported the proposals came with a warning to ministers and MPs "threatening to strip the FA of millions of pounds of public money and even to breach" FIFA rules on "government interference by legislating against its structure" -- action that "could lead to England being banned" from int'l football and Premier League clubs being expelled from the Champions League (TELEGRAPH, 3/7). The BBC reported Professional Footballers' Association CEO Gordon Taylor was also critical of the reforms, saying that they showed "a complete disrespect for key stakeholders" such as players, managers, referees and fans. Taylor: "Such proposals do nothing to bring us in line with the rest of the world or alter the perception of lacking inclusion and being disconnected 'dinosaurs'" (BBC, 3/6).
