The Professional Footballers’ Association has announced a six-point plan to deal with racism in soccer after criticism from some of its members.
The PFA’s chief executive Gordon Taylor says the union wants tougher penalties for racist abuse including making it potentially a sackable offence, culprits ordered to attend awareness programs and a form of the ‘Rooney rule’ to boost the number of black coaches and managers.
Taylor’s response comes after Reading striker Jason Roberts, a member of the PFA’s management committee, expressed frustration that his recommendations had not been acted on.
Taylor outlined the PFA’s action plan in a statement. The plan calls for:
– Speeding up the process of dealing with reported racist abuse with close monitoring of any incidents.
– Consideration of stiffer penalties for racist abuse and to include an equality awareness program for culprits and clubs involved.
– An English form of the ‘Rooney rule’ – introduced by the NFL in America in 2003 – to make sure qualified black coaches are on interview lists for job vacancies.
– The proportion of black coaches and managers to be monitored and any inequality or progress highlighted.
– Racial abuse to be considered gross misconduct in player and coach contracts (and therefore potentially a sackable offence).
– To not to lose sight of other equality issues such as gender, sexual orientation, disability, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and Asians in football.
Taylor also called for unity in the wake of some players considering forming a breakaway organisation for black players.
“If they want their own particular select group who they feel they can influence everybody more than the whole PFA as a union together, I would say they are seriously mistaken.
“If we are not careful this will set us back years. It would not only set back the game, it would set back the anti-racist initiative.”
Roberts said he had pleaded with the PFA to boost the numbers in their equality department.
He told the Daily Mail: “It doesn’t have the resources or the manpower to tackle the job.
“Detailed discussions and recommendations have been tabled for a year now, across several meetings, without any progress being made.”
FA chairman David Bernstein announced on Tuesday that the governing body will review the sanctions for racist abuse following the John Terry case but insisted the Chelsea’s captain’s four-match ban was “about right”.
Most of the points on the PFA action plan would have to be agreed by the FA and the leagues, such as disciplinary sanctions, courses and changes to contracts.
It is understood however that neither the FA nor the Premier League are in favour of bringing in the Rooney Rule, where clubs would be obliged to have at least one candidate from ethnic minorities on shortlists for coaching jobs.
