皇冠体育app

皇冠体育app Culture Secretary and Sports Minister have led a roundtable discussion today with current and former players from the Premier League, English Football League (EFL), Women鈥檚 Super League (WSL) and Women鈥檚 Championship, to get the players鈥� perspective on tackling discrimination and abuse in the game, as part of their series of discussions on the 鈥淔uture of Football鈥�.

Players who shared their views included Liverpool鈥檚 Jordan Henderson and Rinsola Babajide, Aston Villa鈥檚 Tyrone Mings and Watford鈥檚 Troy Deeney, alongside former players including Karen Carney and Anton Ferdinand.

Many of those joining the call shared their powerful experiences of the abuse they or their fellow footballers have faced, and the action they would like to see to tackle this problem. 皇冠体育app meeting was called by Ministers ahead of them introducing new laws to hold social media companies to account for online harms, and a fan-led review of football governance.

Ministers listened to players talk about their direct experiences of discrimination in the men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 game, and the challenges in reporting and getting help with this. Representatives from the game also talked about the need to drive forward diversity in leadership in the game, and welcomed recent steps taken by clubs to support this.

MInisters in turn shared the plans for changing the law to tackle online harms. 皇冠体育app Bill, due to come before Parliament in 2021, will require tech firms to take action so that what is unacceptable in the street and in stands, is unacceptable online too. 皇冠体育app Government is taking soundings from a variety of figures in football, prior to formally launching a fan led governance review, as committed to in the 2019 manifesto which will shape reform of the national game. Ministers opened the series in November bringing together leaders from across football where they discussed financial sustainability and governance, diversity and growing the women鈥檚 game. Following the meeting a financial package was agreed between the Premier League and the EFL, and the Government announced funding for National League and women鈥檚 football clubs.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said: 鈥淭o hear players talk about the level of abuse they have faced was humbling. 皇冠体育appir input today has strengthened my resolve to bring in new laws to ensure there is much greater accountability from the social media platforms for dealing with such problems.
鈥淎s we shape the 鈥淔uture of Football鈥� and look towards our football governance review, we must tackle issues around discrimination and lack of equality of opportunity head on. I am grateful to this group of players for sharing their experiences and expertise to help the Government鈥檚 work.鈥�

Liverpool FC player and captain Jordan Henderson said:

鈥溁使谔逵齛pp meeting was very important and I鈥檓 pleased that those with power and authority to enact change realise the seriousness of the abuse towards players.鈥�

Aston Villa FC player Tyrone Mings said:

I was pleased that the Secretary of State wanted to engage with, and listen to, the thoughts of us as players and ex players. Hopefully this adds context when he attempts to deliver change on behalf of us.

Chair of the Football Association鈥檚 Inclusion Advisory Board Paul Elliott said:

Just like the stakeholders and clubs have shown by signing up to the diversity code the Secretary of State, DCMS and the Government has evidenced genuine appetite and leadership for change.

Notes to editors:

List of attendees:

• Oliver Dowden, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

• Nigel Huddleston, Minister for Sport, Tourism and Heritage

• Rinsola Babajide, Liverpool FC player
• Karen Carney, broadcaster and former footballer
• Troy Deeney, Watford FC player and captain
• Paul Elliott, Chair of Inclusion Advisory Board, 皇冠体育app Football Association
• Anton Ferdinand, Broadcaster and former footballer
• Renee Hector, Watford FC player
• Jordan Henderson, Liverpool FC player and captain
• Shaka Hislop, Honorary President, Show Racism the Red Card (SRtRC), broadcaster and former footballer
• Tyrone Mings, Aston Villa FC player
• Simone Pound, Head of Equalities, 皇冠体育app Professional Footballers鈥� Association (PFA)