Reform MP says FA diversity target ‘utter woke nonsense’ and suggests new policy
Suella Braverman has written to chief executive Mark Bullingham calling on the governing body to scrap the target.
The Football Association’s ambition for at least 25 per cent of England men’s coaching staff to be from a non-white background by 2028 is “utter woke nonsense”, a Reform MP has said.
Suella Braverman, who defected from the Conservatives to Reform earlier this year, has written to FA chief executive Mark Bullingham calling on the governing body to scrap the target.
The ambition for a quarter of coaches in the England men’s coaching set-up at all age levels to be from a black, Asian, mixed or other ethnic background was included within the FA’s Equality, Diversion and Inclusion Strategy for 2024 to 2028, with the stretch target set at 30 per cent.
In a Reform statement Braverman said the approach was “utter woke nonsense” and “fundamentally flawed, inherently racist and bad for the game”. She has requested a meeting with Bullingham, and has suggested replacing the policy with a simple new principle entitled ‘The Best Person for the Job’.
Braverman wrote: “The FA has led the fight to kick racism out of football, a mission I utterly support.
“There is no place for discrimination of any kind in our national game. Yet your DEI strategy does precisely that, it divides rather than unites.
“It replaces merit with quotas and implements identity politics where teamwork, ability and hard graft should prevail.”
The FA said in a statement: “Football has the unique ability to break down barriers and bring communities together. Through our EDI strategy, we aim to ensure the game reflects the full diversity of our nation. This means opening up pathways and creating opportunities for people from all backgrounds – including those from historically underrepresented groups.
“While we will always take a meritocratic approach by appointing the best people for roles, we also recognise the importance of having a broader range of participants across the sport. We are proud that our strategy is supporting the growth of football among men, women, boys and girls from all communities.”
At the time the strategy was launched, Bullingham said: “Through our new strategy, we will work with our partners across football to boost representation, drive inclusion and tackle discrimination at all levels of our game.
“We have seen how the power of football can bring communities together and celebrate diversity, and we want to continue to use our influence to deliver positive and lasting change that we can all be proud of.”
Kick It Out’s former chief executive Tony Burnett told the Press Association in 2023: “Football is one of the last bastions of the old boys’ network, to be absolutely frank.
“When you look at the representation across football, what’s really clear is there is a myth of meritocracy.”
A report from the Black Footballers Partnership in March 2023 found the number of management-related positions held by black employees rose by eight in 2022 compared with the previous year, from 49 among 1,338 individuals (3.7 per cent) to 57 individuals out of 1,304 in 2023 (4.4 per cent).
Kick It Out is continuing to push for the Independent Football Regulator (IFR) to ensure that EDI is central to the code of governance clubs adopt under its licensing regime.
