Football Association (FA) chairman Greg Dyke said yesterday that the FA has failed to raise the number of British Asian people in football.

A delayed report into the issue will eventually be published early next year but Dyke said the statistics are a cause for concern — though strides have apparently been made by talking to Asian communities across the country in an attempt to discover why there are not more Asians playing or coaching football.

Dyke said: “The Asian community is the largest ethnic minority in the UK. From my own experiences in club football, I know the appetite is there for Asians to be involved in the game at all levels.

“Yet only a handful of players have made the professional playing ranks over the past two decades. Players like Anwar Uddin, Zesh Rehman, Harpal Singh, Michael Chopra, Adil Nabi and Permi Jhooti have been the exception rather than the rule.

“Off the field Zaf Iqbal, as a club doctor for Liverpool, and Sangi Patel, a former physiotherapist for Queens Park Rangers, have made great strides too.

“It’s clear that however well-intentioned the FA and other football bodies have been in the past in offering more pathways for Asians to progress in the game, change hasn’t materialised, that passion not quite translating.

“We have — you could say at best — recognised the role we can play in addressing this issue for future footballing generations.

“So, over recent months the FA has visited the most densely populated British Asian communities across the country and delivered community consultation forums with eight events in as many weeks from Luton to Bradford, via Leicester and Sheffield among others.

“We have engaged with groups and individuals in each area and presented some suggestions but with a real emphasis on asking the questions: What do you think will address this problem? What will bring about positive change? And how can we support you with this?”