Football: Banks and Kelly boycott men-only date

THE Football Association chief executive, Graham Kelly, and the Minister for Sport, Tony Banks, are boycotting the Professional Footballers' Association awards dinner because of the union's ban on women.

The PFA is refusing to let Rachel Anderson, who is the country's only female football agent, attend Sunday evening's event because of her sex. Kelly left last year's ceremony after Anderson was denied entry to the dinner and he will not be attending this year in protest.

Kelly said: "It runs contrary to all the things you usually hear coming out of the PFA. I think it is outmoded. They know perfectly well what my views are."

Banks, too, is not attending because of the PFA's men-only guest list. A spokesman for his office said: "He doesn't want to make a particular issue of the PFA, but he feels the event should not be for men only."

Anderson, whose clients include the West Ham defender Julian Dicks and the Everton midfielder Don Hutchison, may take her case to the Equal Opportunities Commission. "I'm not overly surprised, but I am thrilled by the support," she said.