Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Jose Mourinho na Arsene Wenger wote wametakiwa kujiunga na timu ya watu nane katika tume ya FA kupinga ubaguzi wa rangi (eight-man FA commission)

All white not all right: Greg Dyke will chair the monochrome eight-man FA commission

Frank Lampard, Steven Gerrard, Jose Mourinho na Arsene Wenger wote wametakiwa kujiunga na timu ya watu nane katika tume ya FA kupinga ubaguzi wa rangi (eight-man FA commission)

Arsene Wenger, Jose Mourinho, Steven 

Gerrard na Frank Lampard wote wametakiwa kujumuika kwa pamoja wakiwa na bosi wa zamani wa England Glenn Hoddle, mweneja wa zamani wa Leeds na mkurugenzi wa zamani wa ufundi wa FA Howard Wilkinson, mlinzi wa zamani wa England Danny Mills, mwenyekiti wa zamani wa Football League Greg Clarke, mwenyekiti mpywa wa chama cha wachezaji wa kulipwa nchini England Ritchie Humphreys, Mkurugenzi wa mpira wa miguu wa Crewe Dario Gradi, Makamu mwenyekiti wa FA Roger Burden na Dyke katika vita dhidi ya ubaguzi katika soka nchini England.

Hata hivyo uteuzi huo umeonekana kukosolewa na wadau wengi wakisema kuwa jopo zima limejumuisha wote wazungu.

Racism may have had no part in the issuing of invitations, but the FA appears to have lost an opportunity to show how seriously it takes the issue.

This is not US-style ‘Rooney Rule’ argument here. Many former black players are not in favour of quota systems to fast track them into managerial or coaching roles, although those who do argue for it now have much more power to their elbow.

Not one black face on the commission? Not one current black player, not one former black player, not one black manager current or former. Not a one black coach?

How can that be when British black players are so much part of the fabric of English football?

Take Chris Ramsey the former Brighton player who is now a senior figure at the Tottenham academy. He’s been working in youth development for the past 20 years. He just might be worth listening to.

Or Ugo Ehiogu. Not long retired the former England defender has even worked for the FA as an observer at Under 20 level but is not on this panel. Maybe Dyke hasn’t heard of them.

Former England captains: But there is no place on the commission for Rio Ferdinand or Paul Ince (right)

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Rob Shepherd is on Twitter @robshepherd5

But given his TV background Dyke will surely have heard of Ian Wright. Why has Wright, who knows what it is like to overlooked as a teenager but still come into the game late and make it the top, not been invited?

Or why has his old strike partner Mark Bright who helps coach the Crystal Palace kids and keeps close tabs on the game in his various media roles not been given a call?

Or Ferdinand. That could be ex-England striker Les, who works with young players at Spurs, or former England captain Rio.

Or England’s first black captain, Blackpool boss Paul Ince, who has unique experience having seen his son Thomas rise to the top.

Or Viv Anderson or Cyrille Regis, or John Barnes or PFA deputy chief executive Bobby Barnes, or Ruud Gullit… the list could go on and on and that is because there is no shortage of black football people who could bring something to the table.

But no, not one.

A few weeks ago Sol Campbell suggested he might have to go abroad to pursue a career in coaching. At the time it seemed more a case of self-promotion.

Valuable experience: Ian Wright (centre) could have been an asset to the FA

On the attack: Sol Campbell would prefer to see a more diverse FA commission

Insight: John Barnes could also have brought something to the table

So maybe Sol does have a point. Surely he could bring something to this commission. But no.
Campbell came out last week, rather diplomatically saying he wished this commission had been more ‘diverse’.

The FA’s response was to add two current England internationals Gerrard and Lampard, and two foreign managers Wenger and Mourinho.

A judge in Alabama wouldn’t allow a 12 person all-white male jury to sit would he? But it seems the FA top brass think the ethnic diversity of this commission is all right.

Football has been at the vanguard of challenging racism in this country and breaking down barriers over the past four decades.

The FA like to promote Kick It Out T-shirts and badges but beneath the ‘Do the Right Thing’ campaign they and the do-gooders tie themselves up in knots when it comes to core issues of racism as we have seen in the cases of Suarez, Terry, and a satirical after-dinner comedian.

But when it comes to such a big issue, appointing a state of the nation committee to help forge the future of the English football it’s as if the FA’s mentality has travelled back to 1973 when, as TV man Dyke will remember well, the Black and White Minstrel Show was the big hit on a Saturday night before Match of the Day.