Isle of Man footballer's experience of racism prompts FA probe

Furo Davies has been involved in Manx football for more than 15 years

A footballer's experience of racist abuse has prompted the Isle of Man FA to launch a widespread survey on diversity and inclusion in the game.

Furo Davies approached the board about the "daunting" experience of reporting an incident when he was a teenager.

He said he decided to outline his concerns to the organisation because he was "conscious about younger kids being in the same position".

IOMFA chairman Stephen Carter said changes would be made where needed.

About 4,000 people are involved in football through the 26 clubs registered with the IOMFA.

The organisation is affiliated to the English FA and all incidents of racism are reported to officials at Wembley.

Mr Davies, who teaches PE at Ballakermeen High School, has played at a national and club level for more than 15 years.

The 32-year-old said having to "go to a pretty grand room and try and explain why or what was racist" to an all-white panel at the age of 18 "wasn't a very nice experience".

He said he hoped sharing his experiences would encourage the IOMFA to "take a stronger stance" and make changes that would "improve the confidence within players to report problems to do with racism".

Stephen Carter said the results of the survey would inform the IOMFA's inclusion strategy

Mr Carter said while only two formal complaints over racism had been reported to the IOMFA over the past five years, a wider problem in the Manx game may be "hidden" if incidents were going unreported.

"We want to provide the best possible experience for those who want to play football to be able to play the game on the Isle of Man," he said.

"If there are outcomes that are clearly identifiable as areas of change we'll change them."

The survey, which will also be distributed to all of the island's secondary schools, is available online until 16 March.