‘Value’ in setting ethnic minority quotas for the FA board, says shadow sports minister

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan, the shadow sports minister, has suggested that there could be “value” in setting quotas for ethnic minority representation on the football Association (FA) board during a parliamentary debate that concluded with a vote of ‘no confidence’ for the body.

Responding to a question from Leicester East MP Keith Vaz about the possibility of targets for women and black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) individuals in the FA, Allin-Khan said that “putting quota has some value”.

However, she stressed that the organisation needed to create an environment where “women and people from ethnic minority backgrounds feel empowered, not just on the field but in the boardroom”.

The Tooting MP added that she had met FA chair Greg Clarke on “a number of occasions” and believes he “understands the importance of diversity”.

The UK Sports governance Code – which was published last October – has created the requirement that national governing bodies in receipt of public funds must have at least 30 per cent gender representation.

There is no hard and fast target to increase BAME representation, although progress is expected to be made.

According to Damian Collins, chair of the Culture Media and Sport Select Committee – and the MP who tabled the debate – the 122-member FA Council has only eight women and four people from BAME backgrounds.

In contrast, 92 of the 122 members are over-60 and 12 are over-80.

On the FA’s board, Heather Rabbatts is the only individual who is not white or male.

Following the wide-ranging debate on the FA and football governance, the majority of MPs present voted through a motion of no confidence.

However, the view was not shared by sports minister Tracey Crouch and Allin-Khan, who insisted that the body should be given until April to set out its plan on how it will improve its governance and diversity credentials when the governance code comes into force.

If it doesn’t, Crouch has consistently alluded to the possibility of the body losing all it public funding, and has also raised the prospect of government getting involved with legislation to forcefully change the FA's governance structure.