Another FA disciplinary panel has come under fire after a referees’ observer was banned for just 20 weeks for a string of racist and sexist remarks - at a Show Racism The Red Card session.
With just two non-white referees in the professional game, John Davies, a current member of the FA Refereeing team responsible for refereeing observations, allegedly stunned colleagues during a session on anti-discrimination by saying: “I didn’t see any issues with the slave trade” and using the word “coloured” repeatedly.
He is the THIRD FA observer in a year to have been punished for using racially offensive language.
Davies is also responsible for refereeing from Level 4, which feeds officials into the National League System. He is also understood to have said: “Yeah, but it is awful, isn’t it” said in relation to the quality of the women’s game during the anti-discrimination session.
One witness - Referee Observer Manager Phil Knight - was so appalled by Davies’ remarks and his conduct that he took notes, concerned, according to the FA’s written reasons: “with the prospect of [Davies] educating others given some of the views he holds.”
Two other witnesses also provided written evidence. Even during Tuesday’s hearing, Davies was warned about his conduct after asking one of his cross-examiners whether he “had been actively involved in the Brixton Riots.”
Davies will serve 12 weeks with eight suspended for 12 months. He is the third referees’ assessor to be found guilty of racist conduct after the FA suspended another, Mick Ewen, for four months for similarly offensive language last summer.
And in January this year, another observer, Frank Smith, was suspended for just 42 days, told to complete an online education programme and fined £35 after he too was found to have used racially offensive language.
It is a crisis for the FA around its Observers - who assess referees for promotion to the higher leagues - after a report three years ago found widespread allegations that they had been holding potential graduates back on the basis of the colour of their skin.
The report, Compiled by the Black, Asian and Mixed Heritage Referee Support Group, (BAMRef) claimed one observer told a referee: “You lot can all run fast, but that’s all you are good for.”
Another allegedly said: “If you want to progress, you need to cut your dreadlocks.” Another made an offensive comment about throwing a banana.
BAMRef statement said: “Yet another referees observer punished for racism within the last ten months is bad enough. The length and the leniency of the punishment suggests there is indeed a place for racism in the game - and not a zero tolerance.
“It highlights the urgent need for an immediate review of the sentencing guidelines to reflect exactly what the FA’s ambitions for no room for racism actually are. Further, that an independent FA panel should find a racism case against a third assessor in a year proved vindicates our long-held concerns, backed up by reports from our referees, about racism playing a factor in their lack of progression.”
It comes after the FA launched an internal review into their disciplinary practices last month, following the embarrassing John Yems racism affair. Yems was banned for just 18 months and described as “not a conscious racist” despite being found to have made a litany of racist remarks during his time as Crawley manager.
Davies’ offences came during a session presented by Show Racism The Red Card representative Dean Pymble.
Pymble told the FA panel that he was “taken aback by the level of discriminatory attitudes demonstrated by Davies and his insistence to continue causing disruption, even after [he] had attempted to break down the rationale behind each element of the educational session.”
But Davies claimed his comments about women’s football were “taken out of context” and related to “15 years ago [when]…the standard was extremely poor as were the referees.”
According to the FA’s written reasons, Davies went on: “Any comments made were purely historical comparisons and were not a reflection of the current position of the women’s game.”
Davies also denied to the panel “any allegation that he made references to the slave trade being an acceptable practice”.
In relation to the term “coloured”, Davies admitted to the panel “that he finds it difficult to keep up with the changes in terminology, and as far as he understood, the term “coloured” was once acceptable.”
But an FA panel found the case against him proved on all four counts of a breach of Rule E3, with references to protected characteristics, namely gender, ethnic origin and/or colour and/or race.
