EXCLUSIVE: Clarke Carlisle Demands Greater Diversity on FA Commission

Outgoing Professional Footballers' Association chairman Clarke Carlisle has joined Football Association board-member Heather Rabbatts and former England striker Gary Lineker in criticising the make-up of the commission charged with improving the state of the national game.

The 10-man panel which includes FA chairman Greg Dyke, ex-manager Glenn Hoddle, Football League chairman Greg Clarke and incoming PFA chairman Ritchie Humphreys had been accused of lacking diversity by Rabbatts prior to the inclusion of former England captain Rio Ferdinand.

While Rabbatts has continued her disapproval at the commission, Lineker, capped 80 times by England, labelled many of the members of the commission as 'bureaucrats' and described the appointments as "a real missed opportunity".

Carlisle was due to sit on the commission as the PFA chairman but will be succeeded by Humphreys in November having retired from playing last season after 16 years as a professional.

The former Leeds United, Watford and Burnley defender has continued the attack against the commission's diversity, with particular attention on the lack of a female, Asian or schools representatives, and their "ridiculous" wide-ranging remit which is too "professionally focused".

"In terms of representation I don't believe it is representative or all the facets of our game," Carlisle told IBTimes UK.

"There is no female input on the commission and that is 50% of our national game so I don't understand how they can't be represented. Their future is also something that grows in tandem with the men's game and something we want to look at and improve.

"One of things that affects our national game is how people come through the schools system. Where is the representative from the schools FA and from the county FA? There is no representative from the Asian football background which is the most marginalised ethnicity of our national game.

"If you're going to look into improving English football, then you need to look at the entirety of English football.

"It's beyond my comprehension that there can't be female involvement and there can't be representatives of the difference stages of football.

"Everything is professionally focused but that is just the tip of the pyramid. The football pyramid is vast and all these things supply this pyramid. When you use such a generic term what does that cover? It's so opaque it's ridiculous."

The 33 year old has also weighed in on the incident which saw an unnamed England player leak to a national newspaper that Roy Hodgson had made a joke with racial connotations during half-time in the World Cup qualifier against Ukraine.

The unnamed individual neglected submitting an official complaint to The FA, PFA or Kick It Out with regard to the incident and manager Roy Hodgson was forced to issue an official apology. Carlisle says governing bodies must look at the reason why the player did not approach the official channels.

"Someone was offended and they didn't feel able to go through the official channels," Carlisle added.

"They went straight to the press which I think whether it was out ignorance or a lack of understanding of what the procedure should be, or whether it was tactical, is something we can only speculate.

"Everyone needs to know that if they are offended by something, or if something is racist or discriminatory, there are specific avenues that they need to go down and that it is dealt with properly.

"The union [PFA] is the voice of the players, so the players must feel free to, whether it is through their delegate at the club or through phoning through to Gordon [Taylor] themselves, voice their opinion. Whether this player or all players know that is something we have to address."

Clarke Carlisle was speaking at the London Sports Writing Festival. http://www.londonsportswritingfestival.com

You Don't Know Me, But...A Footballer's Life by Clarke Carlisle published by Simon & Schuster LTD, price £16.99