Anti-racism body slams 'weak' FA, Premier League

LONDON (AFP) –

File picture shows Queens Park Rangers’ English defender Anton Ferdinand (R) pointing towards Chelsea‘s English defender John Terry (L) during their Premier League match at Stamford Bridge in London on April 29, 2012. Terry served a four-game ban earlier this season after being found guilty of racially abusing Queens Park Rangers’ Anton Ferdinand by the FA.

The chairman of an anti-racism group has accused England‘s Football Association and the top-flight Premier League of lacking morality and leadership over their handling of recent racism cases.

Herman Ouseley, who heads the Kick It Out organisation, also rebuked Chelsea and Liverpool over the racism incidents involving their players John Terry and Luis Suarez, saying they failed to take a stand against unacceptable behaviour.

“There is very little morality in football among the top clubs,” Ouseley, a lawmaker in Britain’s upper chamber of parliament, said in an interview with The Guardian newspaper published on Tuesday.

“Leadership is so important; you have to send a powerful message that racism is completely unacceptable. But there is a moral vacuum.

“The big clubs look after their players as assets. There was no bold attitude from them, to say that they would not put up with it.”

Terry served a four-game ban earlier this season after being found guilty of racially abusing Queens Park Rangers’ Anton Ferdinand by the FA, while Suarez was hit with an eight-match suspension for a similar offence last season.

Despite the punishments dealt out to the two players, Ouseley said the football authorities should have been more outspoken in their criticism.

“The condemnations have been mealy-mouthed,” the former head of the Commission for Racial Equality said.

“We want all players and fans to feel confident about reporting abuse. But the FA did not say anything about the lies and distortions which came out in John Terry’s and Ashley Cole’s evidence. Instead the players are protected.

File picture shows Liverpool’s Luis Suarez (L) exchanging words with Manchester United‘s Patrice Evra during a Premier League match at Anfield in Liverpool, north-west England, in October 2011. Suarez (L) was hit with an eight-match suspension by the FA in December 2011 for racially abusing Evra.

“The Premier League could have set the tone; they and the FA do a good job in community work. But on this, I have not heard anything from the Premier League.”

Ouseley also chastised the former Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish and ex-Chelsea coach Andre Villas-Boas for giving too much support to Suarez and Terry during their respective cases.

“We were observing the process but the managers were speaking out and sticking up for Luis Suarez and John Terry,” Ouseley added.

“The FA should have asserted themselves, said they would not put up with people disrespecting the process, but the FA were very slack and weak.”

English football has been hit by a spate of incidents of racial abuse this year, with a succession of players allegedly targeted by fans both at grounds and on the micro-blogging site Twitter.

Chelsea also had a claim of racial abuse against referee Mark Clattenburg dismissed by the FA over a lack of evidence.