Wembley hosts game's leading figures to ensure discrimination is kicked out of football.

David Bernstein has said “vigilance, strong leadership and collective action” will ensure football continues to lead the way in tackling discrimination.

The FA Chairman was speaking at a gathering of the game’s leading administrators at Wembley Stadium on Tuesday evening, with the highlight of the event seeing a partnership agreed by FIFA and Kick It Out, which is part-funded and overseen by The FA along with the Premier League and Professional Footballers’ Association.

Among those taking part in the Pitchview West Suite were FIFA President Joseph S. Blatter, Kick It Out chair Lord Herman Ouseley - who sits on the FA Council - and FIFA’s first female member of the Executive Committee Lydia Nsekera from the Burundi FA.

In adopting the Kick It Out message as an anti-racism motto for the global game and talking of the significance of education, Mr Blatter said: “There is racism and discrimination in our game, and this is wrong.

“We want to work alongside Lord Ouseley and his team to teach people that discipline, fair play and respect should be not only on the field where there is a referee, but in everyday life too. We want to see people treated fairly irrespective of their religion, culture or colour."

The FA Chairman was particularly vocal in support of Kick It Out for its work in helping English football become “a benchmark for addressing discrimination and racism” and also praised the different stakeholders across the game for uniting in action.

In addressing the FIFA President directly, the Chairman said: “I know this is an agenda you take very seriously and I commend you for your work and for this important partnership you are launching.” He also hailed Lord Ouseley, who sits on the FA Council, for his efforts since introducing the ‘Let’s kick racism out of football’ drive two decades ago.

“We have also been blessed with strong and brave leaders who have rightly always challenged the status quo and never rested on their achievements ... but of course I do not need to tell anyone in this room that there cannot, must not, be any room for complacency.

“There has been much achieved to tackle anti-discrimination and to create an inclusive culture in our game – but if last season showed us anything it was that there is also much, much more to do.”

He acknowledged the challenges of the “rapidly changing” digital age and said The FA would play its part.

“We must continue to be tough as a regulatory body on sanctioning and disciplining inappropriate behaviour. Wherever possible we must bring incidents of discriminatory abuse to charge and all participants must know the consequences of their actions.

“Secondly, as a game we must remember that with the privilege of performing at the highest level comes a responsibility to behave appropriately. In Poland, I was very impressed by the way the England players engaged with our work with the Holocaust Education Trust.

“They spoke maturely and intelligently about what they saw and learnt – it was a first rate example of how young men in their position can be positive role models. We know that what we see on the pitch and through our TV screens is almost instantaneously reflected in grassroots football.

“Thirdly, there is a need to address the levels of diversity and inclusion within the decision making structures of the game. I believe this must be a process from the bottom up. Our great responsibility should be to create opportunities for people from every background to get involved with the running of the game.”

The Chairman  told how each of the County FAs are on course to implement equality advisory groups by 2015 and also paid tribute to the “positive impact” of Heather Rabbatts since joining The FA Board at the turn of the year. He was equally aware of where there needed to be improvements, not least in the scheme to get coaches from the black, Asian and minority-ethnic community at higher levels.

“We alone as football cannot hope to tackle all the ills of society, and there are times when we need more support from Government and public authorities,” Mr Bernstein added.

Rabbatts was also a notable speaker, joining Mr Blatter on stage briefly when he talked about FIFA’s new drive to promote a ‘handshake for peace’ initiative in conjunction with the Nobel Prize before her own keynote address. She said: “Football is a global game, and touches millions of people worldwide.

“I have no doubt that if the football family works together to fight this issue, we can win. There is more that unites us, than divides us.”

Lord Ouseley opened and closed the event – set against the backdrop of Team GB’s thrilling 1-0 win against Brazil in the Olympic Games women’s football tournament. While challenging the game and wider society to continue to do all it could to tackle the ongoing problems of discrimination and prejudice – referencing “dressing rooms, boardrooms and staff rooms” - he acknowledged the great strides that had been made. “We are now in a much better place in 2012 than in any of the last five decades,” he said. 

“If the will is there and commitment is real, there is nothing that can’t be achieved if you want it to happen.”