by Suzanne Beishon

When it comes to ridding football of inequality the buck shouldn’t stop at the Football Association, Kick It Out chairman Lord Herman Ouseley said yesterday.

He was reacting to the decision of the FA not to take any action against former Cardiff manager Malky MacKay and former head of recruitment Iain Moody, who admitted to sending a series of racist text messages to each other last year.

After an 11-month investigation into the racist, sexist, anti-semitic and homophobic text messages, that involved the calling of 27 witnesses, the FA ruled that there was a “legitimate expectation of privacy,” provoking outrage from all quarters.

But while the Kick It Out chief called for greater transparency and increased communication about the FA’s investigative processes, he also attacked other groups for hiding behind the governing body, saying: “Whenever a major incident occurs, the FA inevitably is expected to sort it out and cops whatever criticism flows if the outcome fails to match some expectations.

“To some extent, as the governing body, that’s to be expected. But the reality is that, repeatedly, all the other bodies in football, such as the leagues, the clubs, the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) and the League Managers Association (LMA) and others shy away from making decisions, which are theirs, as employers and as integrity standard bearers, relying instead on the FA to bail them out.”

Appealing for the process to be widened he said: “But clarity is needed about who should initiate action and investigation. It should not only be the FA. In most cases the employer is the football club and surely it is there where the action should be initiated.

“But historically they have always hidden behind the FA.

“Then there are the leagues and the other associated bodies such as the PFA and the LMA. They all have roles and responsibilities regarding standards of conduct, which appear to require clarification to deal with this deficiency and to secure effective implementation and enforcement.”

Signing off his letter Mr Ouseley laid down the gauntlet to all those who are committed to eradicating inequality in the sport: “The bottom line is this: If those who run football want to make equality, diversity and inclusion happen, they could! So, why is it not happening? Don’t answer that: JUST DO IT!”