Sir Herman Ouseley, chairman of Kick It Out which campaigns against racist behaviour in football, said The FA's work had helped make sure that "excesses in the game have been tackled."

Sir Herman, a former chairman of the Commission for Racial Equality, said more still needed to be done to prevent football missing out on the next generation of black and Asian fans.

Lucy Faulkner, The FA's Ethics and Sports Equity manager, told 5Live that The FA is ensuring the fight against racism continues at all levels of the game.

"The FA totally condemns racism in any form. That underpins all FA policy. The FA has played a leading role at home and abroad in fighting racism and that will continue," she said.

A 5Live investigation found that 122 fans have been banned from Premiership and Nationwide League grounds for racist behaviour in the last five years. Criticism of this number as being insufficient was questioned by a number of listeners who reported improved behaviour at matches. But Lucy Faulkner insisted The FA is making sure the work continues.

She said: "A lot has been said about stewarding at football matches. Of course The FA is not above the law and we work closely with the police to act if and when racist abuse occurs. The police must be the ones to decide whether it is right, for example, to take action immediately or to prosecute later using video evidence. All stewards have to be trained and The FA's programme is now used by two thirds of the professional clubs. From January an enhanced part of that training will focus on the fight against racism."

Sir Herman Ouseley also criticised The FA for "complacency in the boardroom" and claimed "The FA council hasn't transformed itself in a way which reflects the ethnic diversity of the game."

The FA has recently adopted an all-embracing ethics and sports equity policy that will cover all aspects of The FA's work. Eight per cent of FA staff are from minority ethnic communities and a comprehensive monitoring programme is now in place throughout The FA.

"We've achieved a lot," added Lucy Faulkner. "But we are not complacent. We know the work continues and fairness and equality must underpin everything that we do."

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