Reform accused of seeking to insert ‘toxic politics’ into English football

Reform UK has been accused of seeking to insert “toxic politics” into football after the party pressed the Football Association in England to scrap diversity and inclusion policies.Suella Braverman wrote to the FA on Tuesday to ask for a meeting to discuss the governing body’s diversity policies, which Reform’s equalities spokesperson described as “utter woke nonsense”.Under the FA’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy 2024–2028, the association wants 30% of the England men’s coaching staff to be from ethnically diverse backgrounds by 2028.In a letter to the FA chief executive, Mark Bullingham, Braverman described this as “fundamentally flawed, inherently racist and bad for the game”.Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary, told the Guardian: “Reform should keep their toxic politics out of our national game.“Sport belongs to everyone in our country. It unites us and brings us together, which is exactly why Reform has such a problem with it.”Braverman wrote in her letter: “The 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.”The former home secretary, who recently defected from the Conservatives to Reform, added in the letter: “White 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?“These 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.”The FA’s policies were also defended by Dame Tracey Crouch, a former Conservative sports minister who is also a qualified FA coach, who told the Guardian: “Sport 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.“Football 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.”The attack by Reform UK came on the same day as a backlash from Ipswich fans, who said they were “disgusted and ashamed” after the party’s leader, Nigel Farage, staged a photo opportunity at Portman Road.Some supporters criticised the club on social media, with one describing it as “PR suicide for a family club”. Another fan, Alex, told PA Media he was disgusted and ashamed at what had happened, adding: “It is a slap in the face to supporters and players, past and present.”Reform posted “Portman Road Awaits” on X on Monday evening and Farage followed up with a post on Tuesday morning, with club branding and sponsors clearly visible in the photos posted online. “I’ve never been too bad on the right wing,” Farage wrote on his X account.It is understood that no official invitation was made by Ipswich to Farage. The club issued a statement saying that it “remains apolitical and does not support or endorse any individual or party”.The FA has been approached for comment. The diversity strategy which has now been targeted by Reform was launched after the association was told that it needed to make more of an effort to create a diverse pool of candidates for the England head coach position.Data published in 2024 by the Black Footballers Partnership found that while 43% of Premier League players were black, a far lower number were in senior coaching positions.Bullingham said at the time of the launch of the diversity strategy that tackling discrimination was one of the FA’s “core ambitions”, adding: “We have seen how the power of football can bring communities together and celebrate diversity, and we want to continue to use our influence to deliver positive and lasting change that we can all be proud of.”Last year the FA launched its first strategy for supporting south Asian people in English football, as it seeks to confront the “overt racism, often in mainstream places” that keeps players away.