Reform UK has been accused of seeking to insert \u201ctoxic politics\u201d into football after the party pressed the Football Association in England to scrap diversity and inclusion policies.<\/p>\n
Suella Braverman wrote to the FA on Tuesday to ask for a meeting to discuss the governing body\u2019s diversity policies, which Reform\u2019s equalities spokesperson described as \u201cutter woke nonsense\u201d.<\/p>\n
Under the FA\u2019s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) strategy 2024\u20132028<\/a>, the association wants 30% of the England men\u2019s coaching staff to be from ethnically diverse backgrounds by 2028.<\/p>\n In a letter to the FA chief executive, Mark Bullingham, Braverman described this as \u201cfundamentally flawed, inherently racist and bad for the game\u201d.<\/p>\n Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary, told the Guardian: \u201cReform should keep their toxic politics out of our national game.<\/p>\n \u201cSport belongs to everyone in our country. It unites us and brings us together, which is exactly why Reform has such a problem with it.\u201d<\/p>\n Braverman wrote in her letter: \u201cThe FA has led the fight to kick racism out of football, a mission I utterly support. There is no place for discrimination of any kind in our national game. Yet your DEI strategy does precisely that, it divides rather than unites.\u201d<\/p>\n The former home secretary, who recently defected from the Conservatives to Reform, added in the letter: \u201cWhite working-class boys are the most disadvantaged in the country, they are the lifeblood of our game, but they are absent from your strategy. Why?<\/p>\n \u201cThese boys miss out on opportunities and are overlooked because of who they are. The policies within your document will increase resentment and should be abandoned.\u201d<\/p>\n The FA\u2019s policies were also defended by Dame Tracey Crouch, a former Conservative sports minister who is also a qualified FA coach, who told the Guardian: \u201cSport has long been a vehicle to drive inclusion and community cohesion, often turned to by politicians of all parties as a way of supporting them in the challenges they face.<\/p>\n \u201cFootball is the most played sport in the country, drawing participants from both genders and all ethnicities. The FA has done an incredible job in identifying gaps in skilled areas and opening up pathways to those groups, and others, to make sure we continue to lead the world on and off the pitch.\u201d<\/p>\n The attack by Reform UK came on the same day as a backlash from Ipswich fans, who said they were \u201cdisgusted and ashamed\u201d<\/a> after the party\u2019s leader, Nigel Farage<\/a>, staged a photo opportunity at Portman Road.<\/p>\n Some supporters criticised the club on social media, with one describing it as \u201cPR suicide for a family club\u201d. Another fan, Alex, told PA Media he was disgusted and ashamed at what had happened, adding: \u201cIt is a slap in the face to supporters and players, past and present.\u201d<\/p>\n