Football is rife with a shocking level of “institutional discrimination,” a think tank founded by a group of former Premier League players said yesterday.

The Sports People’s Think Tank (SPTT) will release a report in Parliament today exposing the prejudices faced by black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) people looking to take up positions of authority in the game.

Figures published by the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) earlier this month showed BAME people currently fill just under four per cent of backroom staff positions in the Football League.