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‘We have a long way to go’: Tyrone Mings criticises Greg Clarke’s comments

Tyrone Mings believes generational misunderstanding was no excuse for the comments that brought about Greg Clarke’s resignation as chairman of the Football Association, and that they showed how far there is to go in educating people about appropriate terminology.

Clarke stepped down after describing black, Asian and minority ethnic footballers as “coloured”, among other inappropriate remarks, in front of a parliamentary committee on Tuesday. His words were met with disappointment by Aston Villa centre-back Mings, who was recently involved in creating the FA’s new diversity code.

“I don’t think there’s any excusing it and I wouldn’t sit here and try to defend something because of the fact he came out and apologised,” he said when asked whether a slip of the tongue attributable to the 63-year-old would offer any mitigation.

“I think he knows he’s done wrong, I think he knows he fell short of what he should know and I think that’s what we’re asking for really, that you understand the world we’re living in and understand what you can and can’t say. So I don’t think it’s necessarily an excuse and I don’t think he would necessarily sit here and excuse it himself.

“I would not sit here and defend it but at the same time there is an element of understanding … educating the generations coming through is one thing but also understanding that we are living in one world and people who came before us are living in another one.”

Quick guide

Greg Clarke’s FA timeline

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4 September 2016
Clarke, previously chairman of the Football League for six years, replaces Greg Dyke at the FA.

27 September 2016
Sacks England manager Sam Allardyce after only one game in charge following comments made in an undercover newspaper sting.

16 October 2017
Comes under scrutiny for his role in the FA’s handling of Eni Aluko’s claim of racism against national women’s team manager Mark Sampson. Clarke talked about the “fluff of institutional racism” at a select committee hearing.

27 September 2018
Backs the plan to sell Wembley Stadium to Fulham owner Shahid Khan for £400m, but after the deal failed to win over the football public, Khan pulled out.

13 October 2020
Claimed in a published letter to the FA council that he only “participated in the early stages” of Project Big Picture, proposals to reshape the structure of English football. In fact Clarke initiated the process, invited the participants, was involved in all the meetings and development of the plans, and in resurrecting them in September.

27 October 2020
FA launches a new diversity code aimed at substantially increasing the number of black, Asian and mixed heritage recruits to senior leadership and coaching roles.

10 November 2020
Clarke resigns after making a series of discriminatory remarks at the select committee hearing.

Photograph: Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images Europe
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Mings said the phrase “may have been acceptable once upon a time” but that Clarke’s use highlighted the task both football and society in general face. “We all have a duty of care to understand what’s going on in the world and understand what terminology you can and can’t use,” he said. “And if you fall foul of that or there’s a slip of the tongue, be man enough and brave enough to apologise for it. So it’s not for me to condemn it but we still have a long way to go and this probably proves it.”

Mings, who hopes to win his fifth cap when England host the Republic of Ireland on Thursday, emphasised Clarke’s error should not detract from the strides the FA has made in matters surrounding equality and diversity.

“Of course it’s not great, but I think you can separate the two: the work the FA are doing and the chairman’s knowledge of what should and shouldn’t be said in today’s society,” he said. “I’ve seen first hand how much work the FA are doing and I’m not sitting here trying to vehemently defend them but, at the same time, I’ve been a part of it. I’ve been a part of trying to drive change. I’ve been a part of speaking to different people within the organisation and I firmly believe we are trying to make good strides.”

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