Task force to boot out racism in soccer

THE days of the soccer-playing racist could be numbered.

Under plans to be unveiled tomorrow, players at all levels of the game found guilty of racist behaviour will be shown an automatic red card, while both professional players and managers will have to sign anti-discrimination clauses in their contracts.

The unprecedented package of measures, which include a tightening of the law, has been agreed by the Government's football task force which is made up of politicians, footballers, commentators and officials from clubs and the Football Association.

The group, chaired by broadcaster and former Conservative Cabinet minister David Mellor, will promise zero tolerance to racists and outline around 40 initiatives to encourage more black and Asian participation in the sport.

The work follows the row between black footballer Stan Collymore and former team mate Steve Harkness, the latest in a line of disputes involving non-white footballers. The FA has launched an inquiry over alleged racist remarks made by Liverpool's Harkness against Collymore during the Aston Villa-Liverpool premiership match. Neither player has been prepared to back down.

The task force document, Eliminating Racism from Football, points out that an Asian player has still to break into the top flight of football although Britain's Asian population is now 1.7 million people or 3.5 per cent of the population.

Although non-whites make up 7.3 per cent of the population, or 3.5 million people, they constitute only 1 per cent of premiership crowds.

Recommendations, which will go to the sports minister, Tony Banks, include:

t Instructions to referees to show an instant red card to any player demonstrating racial abuse on the pitch, (this would apply to all 42,000 clubs affiliating to the FA).

t Local teams with a record of abuse to be excluded from local authority pitches.

t Mandatory training for stewards, to NVQ level, including how to deal with racism.

t An anti-racist pledge to be included in contracts for players and managers, with financial penalties applying to any breach.

t Black people should be represented on the FA council and equal opportunities should be seen through by all clubs.

t Changes to the Football Offences Act which currently makes racist chanting by a group of supporters an offence. Instead the amended legislation would outlaw abuse from individual spectators.

The Government has indicated that it will accept the last recommendation which it will implement when it finds parliamentary time.

The task force included Robbie Earle from Wimbledon, Uriah Rennie, the premiership's only black referee; Eleanor Oldroyd, the BBC sports presenter; David Davies, director of public relations for the FA; and Peter Levy, chief executive of the Premier League.

Mr Mellor said: "We are not grandstanding on this issue with empty rhetoric. If what we recommend is followed, racist abuse on the pitch will be so severely punished that all clubs will have to take action to stop it."

Graham Kelly, chief executive of the FA, added: "This report amply demonstrates what football has done to tackle racist attitudes and points up what remains to be achieved to eradicate the problem".

Ian Ridley, Sport, page 23