FA chairman Greg Clarke forced to apologise for using the term ‘coloured footballers’

Greg Clarke, the chairman of the Football Association, has apologised for using the term ‘coloured footballers’ in a discussion with MPs.

‘If I look at what happened to high profile female footballers, high profile coloured footballers,’ Clarke said in one passage of speech while facing the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee.

Clarke was asked by MP Kevin Brennan whether he wished to withdraw the use of the word ‘coloured’ in one of his earlier answers. 

Greg Clarke, the chairman of the FA, has apologised for using the term ‘coloured footballers’

Brennan said: ‘Mr Clarke, diversity is not really the issue is it – football is diverse – it’s inclusion that’s the issue. 

‘When you said something earlier on, I think I heard you refer to “coloured people” – if that’s the case would you want to withdraw that language? Because isn’t that exactly the sort of language that means that inclusion is not a reality even though football is very diverse and has many people in it from ethnic minority backgrounds and also people who are gay.’

Clarke responded: ‘If I said it, I deeply apologise. Secondly, I am a product of having worked overseas. 

‘I worked in the USA for many years where I was required to use the term “people of colour” because that was a product of their diversity legislation, positive discrimination format, so sometimes I trip over my words and I deeply apologise.’

The FA later released a statement saying: ‘Greg Clarke is deeply apologetic for the language he used to reference members of the ethnic minority community during the select committee hearing. 

‘He acknowledged that using the term “coloured” is not appropriate and wholeheartedly apologised during the hearing.’

But Clarke’s language on other topics has caused discomfort.

‘If you go to the IT department at the FA there’s a lot more South Asians than there are Afro Caribbeans. They have different career interests,’ he said, while also claiming that a coach once told him that young girls ‘don’t like the ball kicked at them hard.’

Clarke was appearing in front of MPs alongside EFL chairman Rick Parry and Premier League chief executive Richard Masters regarding the failure to agree a coronavirus rescue package for the EFL.