• Premier League

Scudamore urged to 'seriously consider position'

Richard Scudamore has attracted criticism from Sports minister Helen Grant and Dame Tessa Jowell © Getty Images

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FA board member Heather Rabbatts has put pressure on Premier League chief Richard Scudamore to "seriously consider his position" after he sent sexist emails.

Scudamore's comments were made public by a former personal assistant, who recently leaked his emails to the Sunday Mirror. He subsequently released a statement after the emails were exposed, in which he admitted his comments were "inappropriate" and that he had made an "error of judgement".

Sports minister Helen Grant said she found the comments "unacceptable", although FA chairman Greg Dyke said English football's governing body will not be taking any action over Scudamore's discriminatory remarks.

Rabbatts, who will chair the FA's inclusion advisory board when they meet to discuss the matter on Tuesday, released a statement which accused the Premier League of having a "closed culture of sexism".

"No one can doubt the tremendous achievements of the Premier League in creating one of the world's great footballing competitions," Rabbatts said.

"With that success and the massive public interest it generates comes the obligation to behave responsibly and have in place proper lines of accountability and good governance.

"Sadly recent events appear to show these things are currently lacking in the administration of the Premier League, and indeed there is growing evidence of a closed culture of sexism, symbolised in the email exchanges which have been made public.

"It is increasingly clear that steps are needed as a matter of urgency to review governance at the Premier League with a view to improving accountability and tackling head on a culture that demeans women and seems to discourage their involvement in the game's administration.

"These challenges go beyond the current situation of chief executive Richard Scudamore, however if the League are to move forward in a positive way then he and they should give serious consideration to his position in the coming days.

"I personally hope that progress can be made on all of these fronts so that we can feel confident that the leaders of football are accountable for their actions and support a culture that genuinely welcomes the participation of women and girls in our national game."

Women in Football, a group striving to improve women's representation in the game, said they were "shocked" by the reports.

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