Suella Braverman has demanded that the Football Association abandons its goal of ensuring at least a quarter of England men's coaching staff come from non-white backgrounds by 2028.
The Reform MP, who defected from the Conservative Party to Reform earlier this year, urged FA chief executive Mark Bullingham to drop the target.
Braverman has branded the diversity target "utter woke nonsense" in her communication with football's national governing body and said the approach was "fundamentally flawed, inherently racist and bad for the game”.
The target forms part of the FA's Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy (DEI) covering 2024 to 2028, which applies to coaching positions across all age groups within the England men's set-up, including a more ambitious stretch goal of 30 per cent.
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Braverman wrote: "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.
"It replaces merit with quotas and implements identity politics where teamwork, ability and hard graft should prevail."
Suella Braverman has demanded that the Football Association abandon its goal of ensuring at least a quarter of England men's coaching staff come from non-white backgrounds by 2028
|GETTY
The FA released a statement in response to the Reform MP.
They 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."
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The target forms part of the FA's Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy covering 2024 to 2028
|GETTY
The organisation added: "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."
At the time the strategy was launched, Bullingham said: "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.
"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."
Suella Braverman urged FA chief executive Mark Bullingham to drop the target
|GETTY
Back in 2023, Kick It Out’s former chief executive Tony Burnett said: "Football is one of the last bastions of the old boys’ network, to be absolutely frank.
"When you look at the representation across football, what’s really clear is there is a myth of meritocracy."
Research published by the Black Footballers Partnership in March 2023 revealed that black employees held 4.4 per cent of management-related roles in football, rising marginally from 3.7 per cent the previous year.
Kick It Out continues campaigning for the Independent Football Regulator to place EDI requirements at the heart of club licensing governance standards.
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