Did you see that the Football Association has unveiled ambitious diversity targets as part of its 2024-2028 strategy, aiming for 25-30% of England men's team coaches to hail from Black, Asian, and Minority Ethnic backgrounds by 2028, with an even loftier 50% goal for the Lionesses' coaching staff.
And you thought that wokeness was in retreat? It hasn’t even peaked here!
Additionally, the FA seeks to make women 50% of its overall workforce by the same deadline.
These imposed quotas are a shift away from meritocracy and are guaranteed to undermine the quality of English football and foster reverse discrimination. Neither outcome is welcome.
At its core, this FA initiative prioritises demographic tickboxes over actual competence. We have seen so many examples of where imposed DEI leads to "system collapse" forcing organisations to lowering standards when qualified candidates from targeted groups are in short supply, resulting in incompetence across the board. It’s so predictable but the FA are determined to proceed.
In football, where split-second decisions and tactics bring success, hiring coaches based on ethnicity / gender rather than proven track records takes away England's competitive edge.
Imagine sidelining a world-class coach like Pep Guardiola simply because he doesn't fit the quota—absurd, yet that's the logical endpoint of such mandates. The policy is also outright racist, with programs like the FA's "Club Placement Programme" explicitly excluding white applicants, including men and women, from coaching roles at clubs such as Arsenal and Manchester United.
Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe has called it "vile racist filth," emphasising that roles should be awarded on merit alone, regardless of colour. I believe most of us will agree with Rupert.
These stupid targets ignore also practical realities. England's population is about 82% white, with BAME groups comprising roughly 18%. So making a 50% BAME coaching quota for the women's team is statistically improbable without aggressive discrimination.
It seems to me that true inclusion comes from expanding opportunities through grassroots development, not arbitrary quotas that divide us. The FA should scrap these divisive targets and refocus on talent scouting and education for all.
English football deserves the very best coaches, not a politically correct lineup doomed to mediocrity.
A final thought. The only team that England has won the World Cup was in 1966. Here is the winning team with the winning manager. Notice something about it?
This will prove, very quickly, whether diversity is our strength or not.
Lost interest in football when they started kneeling. I'm waiting for Joey Barton and Matt Le Tissier to get wind of this.