Lord Ouseley to stand down as chairman of football’s Kick It Out

Lord Herman Ouseley is to stand down as the chairman of football’s anti-racism campaign Kick It Out, after 25 continuous years in the position. Ouseley, 73, is understood to have informed the trustees of the organisation some time ago, and his forthcoming retirement from the role is not related to the current resurgence of alleged racist incidents in the game. He and Kick It Out were intending to announce his departure in the coming weeks, but confirmed it when news of it leaked.

That Ouseley’s departure will be announced at the same time as there are renewed concerns over racism in football confirms themes he has repeatedly stressed: that racism and other forms of discrimination have never been defeated despite huge progress made over the years, and that toxic Brexit-related rhetoric about immigration has increased social divisions.

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The Metropolitan police is currently investigating the alleged racist abuse by Chelsea supporters of the Manchester City player Raheem Sterling, and the banana thrown on the pitch by a Tottenham Hotspur supporter at the Emirates Stadium towards the Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Sterling has also complained that young black footballers are reported negatively in the media compared to white players, referring in particular to coverage by Mailonline.

Ouseley, who had a distinguished career in public service including being the chair of the Commission for Racial Equality and chief executive of the Inner London Education Authority, has been the chair of Kick It Out since its formation in 1993. During that time he has led the organisation to immense progress in tackling racism which was still overt and widespread among supporters during the campaign’s early days.

Although Kick It Out is funded by the Professional Footballers Association, Premier League and Football Association, Ouseley never shied away from criticising the game’s authorities when he believed they were not working hard enough to oppose discrimination. Speaking out following the abuse of Sterling at Chelsea, he said the player has been “treated differently” by the media, which has added to prejudice: “What happened at Chelsea shows what is still going on in football,” he said.

“Where is [Premier League executive chairman] Richard Scudamore? Where is [the FA chairman] Greg Clarke? Where is Chelsea’s chairman [Bruce Buck]? They should have been talking out, and it has to dealt with at the top. We do not have any leadership at the top of the game to speak out. They rely on Kick it Out.”