Government rebuffs PFA’s call for inquiry into racism in football and tells authorities to ‘do more’ to combat issue

Downing Street calls on the Football Association, Premier League and other authorities within the game to get their own house in order after Chelsea player Antonio Rudiger claimed he was racially abused

The government has rebuffed the Professional Footballers’ Association’s (PFA) plea for an official inquiry into racism in football – instead calling for the game’s authorities to take action on the issue.

There have been at least 35 high-profile instances of racial abuse or racially-related incidents this calendar year across Europe, with the latest seeing Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger allegedly targeted with monkey taunts during Sunday’s Premier League match at Tottenham.

The PFA called for Boris Johnson’s government to hold “an inquiry into racism and the rise in hate crime within football and immediate and urgent action from an All-Party Group at the Department of Culture, Media and Sport to address this urgent issue” following the incident at the weekend.

But on Monday Downing Street ruled out any such action and said that the PFA, Football Association, Premier League and other major authorities within the sport should do more to tackle the issue.

“Racism of any kind has no place in football or anywhere else and we must confront this vile behaviour,” the prime minister’s official spokesman said.

“Clearly there remains more work to be done by the football authorities in tackling this issue and we are committed to working with them on this to stamp it out.

“The FA, Premier League and English Football League have significantly stepped up their efforts, but we expect them to continue to prioritise this issue and to consult with both players and supporter groups, and we will be monitoring how the football authorities implement their plans through the season.”

The spokesman added that the government will monitor the response from the football authorities, adding: “We will continue working with the authorities on this, including the Professional Footballers’ Association and we don’t rule out taking further steps if required.”

A spokesperson for the FA confirmed on Monday that an investigation is being carried out to determine what happened in the 62nd minute of Sunday’s match in north London.

“Following the incident in the match between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea on Sunday 22 December, we are working with the match officials, the clubs and the relevant authorities to fully establish the facts and take the appropriate steps,” the spokesperson said.

The decision not to intervene comes fewer than 24 hours after former England international Gary Neville launched his second passionate anti-racism speech aimed towards Britain’s political leaders. The ex-Manchester United defender accused Mr Johnson of “fuelling” racism across the country a fortnight ago with his use of offensive race-related language, which has subsequently filtered down into football due to the lack of action taken against the prime minister.

Antonio Rudiger claimed he was targeted by fans making monkey gestures (PA)

Neville once again took aim at politicians following Sunday’s incident, claiming that having two leading parties who have both been held unaccountable to allegations of racist or hateful language has set the tone for the rest of the country.

“I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, we have just had an election in this country where both main parties and the leaders of both main parties are accused constantly over the last month of fuelling racism and accepting racism within their parties,” Neville said on Sky Sports, following the incident involving Rudiger.

“If it is accepted within the highest office in the country, we are not talking about it at a micro level, we are talking about an absolutely enormous level.

“Maybe we have to empower the players to walk off the pitch and stop the entertainment while it is happening. That is the only way I can see it happening.”