ANTI-RACISM campaigners have defended the Football Association’s (FA) ambition of seeing more non-white people becoming coaches after Reform UK MP Suella Bravermen attacked it in her ceaseless culture war.

The FA announced in November 2024 that it hoped to see one in four coaches in the England’s men team coming from ethnically diverse backgrounds by 2028. Only 19 per cent of England coaches were of non-white heritage then.

At the time, FA chief executive Mark Bullingham said that tackling discrimination is one of the FA’s core ambitions.

“Through our new strategy, we will work with our partners across football to boost representation, drive inclusion and tackle discrimination at all levels of our game,” he said.

On Tuesday, apropos of nothing, the former Home Secretary posted an open letter addressed to Mr Bullingham on social media, saying its recruitment strategy was “utter woke nonsense” and “inherently racist.”

“The FA has led the fight to kick racism out of football, a mission I utterly support,” Ms Braverman claimed in her open letter.

“There is no place for discrimination of any kind in our national game. Yet your DEI (diversity, equality and inclusion) strategy does precisely that, it divides rather than unites. It replaces merit with quotas and implements identity politics where teamwork, ability and hard graft should prevail.

“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.”

She went on: “Giving everyone the opportunity to enjoy the greatest game in the world is important, but football, especially at the highest levels should be based on merit. The best coaches should get the job, not because of their skin colour, but because they are the best person for the job.

“I ask you to scrap your policies and replace them with a policy entitled ‘The best person for the job’.”

The anti-racism campaign group Kick It Out told the Star yesterday that “the best person for the job” is something they hear all the time.

The organisation said: “But when there are only a few black managers in the 92 professional clubs, and 3.2 per cent of Premier League board and senior leadership positions are from ethnically diverse backgrounds, are we comfortable saying the best person for the job just doesn’t come from an ethnic minority?

“This isn’t about talent; it’s about opportunity. If underrepresented communities have had less access to football’s pathways, the impact is felt for decades to come.

“That’s why we need solutions, including targets, to ensure that football is more reflective of its communities.”

Responding to Ms Braverman’s comments on Tuesday, the FA said: “Football has the unique ability to break down barriers and bring communities together. Through our DEI strategy, we aim to ensure the game reflects the full diversity of our nation.

“This means opening up pathways and creating opportunities for people from all backgrounds — including those from historically underrepresented groups.

“While we will always take a meritocratic approach by appointing the best people for roles, we also recognise the importance of having a broader range of participants across the sport.

“We are proud that our strategy is supporting the growth of football among men, women, boys and girls from all communities.”