Greg Clarke has resigned as chairman of England’s Football Association (FA) following a disastrous showing in front of Parliament which including him making numerous inappropriate remarks.
Clarke appeared remotely before a Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Select Committee, primarily to discuss Project Big Picture – contentious proposals which would decisively change how the elite club game is run in England.
However, the 63-year-old – who is a FIFA vice-president – went on to make racist, homophobic and sexist remarks.
This included using the term “coloured footballers” and citing “different career interests” as a reason for there being “a lot more South Asians than there are Afro-Caribbeans” in the FA’s information technology department.
Clarke also described being gay as a “life choice”.
One coach told him a reason for a shortage of goalkeepers in the women’s game was that girls do not like having a ball kicked hard at them, he also said.
Since speaking to the Select Committee, Clarke has faced widespread condemnation for his comments and ultimately been forced to resign.
He had been FA chairman since 2016.
“As a person who loves football and has given decades of service to our game, it is right that I put the interests of football first,” Clarke said in a resignation statement.
“My unacceptable words in front of Parliament were a disservice to our game and to those who watch, play, referee and administer it.
“This has crystallised my resolve to move on.
“I am deeply saddened that I have offended those diverse communities in football that I and others worked so hard to include.
“I would like to thank my friends and colleagues in the game for the wisdom and counsel they have shared over the years and resign from the FA with immediate effect.”
Peter McCormick will be interim chairman while the FA Board seeks to appoint a permanent successor to Clarke.
The FA has faced criticism over its record on racism and homophobia previously during Clarke’s tenure.
In 2018, it signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Qatar Football Association; Qatar is the host nation of the 2022 World Cup, but homosexuality is illegal in the country.
In 2017, the FA finally apologised to two former members of the women’s team, Eni Aluko and Drew Spence, for racist comments made by ex-manager Mark Sampson.
