The Football Association was forced on Thursday night to defend the appointment of the former player Michael Johnson to its new Inclusion Advisory Board, aimed at promoting equality in the game, after he stated in 2012 that homosexuality was "detestable".
Johnson, who played for Birmingham City, Derby and Notts County as a defender, will meet the other nine members of the IAB for the first time this month after the establishment of the panel in December. It is chaired by the FA board member Heather Rabbatts and includes Graeme Le Saux.
However, in 2012 Johnson refused to back the FA anti-homophobia campaign when discussing ethics and racism in the game on a television programme. When asked by the presenter Nicky Campbell during the BBC1 series The Big Questions if he would support the fight against homophobia, Johnson said: "Because of my beliefs, because of the Bible that I read, in the Bible it does state that homosexuality is detestable unto the Lord."
The FA advertised for six positions on the IAB in June last year, when the general secretary, Alex Horne, described the establishment of the board as "the first time that all parts of the game (the FA, Premier League, Football League, Professional Footballers' Association, League Managers Association, Professional Game Match Officials Limited and the Referees' Association) had come together with a comprehensive plan to promote inclusion and tackle discrimination in all its forms".
The FA was unaware of Johnson's comments when it took the decision to appoint the 40-year-old but this news represents fresh embarrassment for the organisation. John Amaechi, the first former NBA player to come out in public in 2007, joined Johnson on The Big Questions debate in March 2012 and told the Guardian that he does not believe the FA understands how to tackle homophobia, while the human rights and anti-homophobia campaigner Peter Tatchell said Johnson's appointment "makes a mockery of the FA's commitment to challenge prejudice".
Johnson, who is an ambassador for Birmingham children's hospital, was considered a viable candidate for the IAB because of his work on anti-racism. In a statement released to the Guardian, he insisted that he regretted his comments in 2012 and that his views on homosexuality had changed.
"I was invited on to the programme in March 2012 to talk about my faith. I was not prepared for the question and it is with deep regret that I answered it in the way I did back then. It was wrong and relates to a view I no longer hold," Johnson said.
"I have since invested a great deal of my time and energies into re-educating myself through reading, attending workshops and entering into debates. As a result, my whole way of thinking has changed. The Inclusion Advisory Board is all about education and changing opinions and, through my own personal experience and learning, I believe I can have a positive influence on the work being done by football on this vital agenda."
Rabbatts said: "I have spoken to Michael in detail about this and I accept his account of what happened and his regret over the incident. More importantly for me and for Michael, we acknowledge that through his own personal journey he has a huge amount to offer to the Inclusion Advisory Board."
The IAB will monitor the delivery of the FA's inclusion and anti-discrimination action plan for 2013-17, which aims to tackle under-representation in the game and states its backing for the government's charter for action against homophobia and transphobia.
Amaechi said: "The FA will say they have brought this man on because of his expertise in anti-racism. The problem is, the reason that homophobia, antisemitism, racism and other misogyny continue to blight football is that the FA does not understand how to tackle it. You don't put one person to handle racism and a gay person for homophobia, you pick people who understand that all bigotry is the same monster.
"I don't know this guy apart from shaking his hand at that TV programme, but I would say this – the problem here was not his religion, it was his interpretation of this. There are plenty of people who are religious who would have been ideal candidates for this board, who could have understood where their personal beliefs started and where human dignity begins," said Amaechi.
"The new quote from Michael Johnson is very welcome. It is good to see he has evolved as an individual. However I maintain that the FA's problems with women, BAME and LGBT communities come from choosing never to engage people who will challenge and educate them but rather insiders who qualify as part of the minority-issue they are trying to address. In general, they need more advice from scholars and less from former players, however well meaning."
Tatchell, who withdrew from the FA's working group against homophobia because he did not feel the organisation was taking the matter seriously, added: "The segment Michael Johnson appeared in was about racism in football. I hope his change of heart is genuine and sincere, if it is that's great.
"This still doesn't address the issue of whether the FA properly researched Johnson's views on tackling homophobia before he was appointed. They still have questions to answer about his appointment criteria and the procedure.
"The FA appears to have done no thorough research on their employees, it looks slapdash and unprofessional. The FA would never appoint a person who refused to support the campaign against racism. Why the double standards?"
Johnson, who played for Birmingham City, Derby and Notts County as a defender, will meet the other nine members of the IAB for the first time this month after the establishment of the panel in December. It is chaired by the FA board member Heather Rabbatts and includes Graeme Le Saux.
However, in 2012 Johnson refused to back the FA anti-homophobia campaign when discussing ethics and racism in the game on a television programme. When asked by the presenter Nicky Campbell during the BBC1 series The Big Questions if he would support the fight against homophobia, Johnson said: "Because of my beliefs, because of the Bible that I read, in the Bible it does state that homosexuality is detestable unto the Lord."
The FA advertised for six positions on the IAB in June last year, when the general secretary, Alex Horne, described the establishment of the board as "the first time that all parts of the game (the FA, Premier League, Football League, Professional Footballers' Association, League Managers Association, Professional Game Match Officials Limited and the Referees' Association) had come together with a comprehensive plan to promote inclusion and tackle discrimination in all its forms".
The FA was unaware of Johnson's comments when it took the decision to appoint the 40-year-old but this news represents fresh embarrassment for the organisation. John Amaechi, the first former NBA player to come out in public in 2007, joined Johnson on The Big Questions debate in March 2012 and told the Guardian that he does not believe the FA understands how to tackle homophobia, while the human rights and anti-homophobia campaigner Peter Tatchell said Johnson's appointment "makes a mockery of the FA's commitment to challenge prejudice".
Johnson, who is an ambassador for Birmingham children's hospital, was considered a viable candidate for the IAB because of his work on anti-racism. In a statement released to the Guardian, he insisted that he regretted his comments in 2012 and that his views on homosexuality had changed.
"I was invited on to the programme in March 2012 to talk about my faith. I was not prepared for the question and it is with deep regret that I answered it in the way I did back then. It was wrong and relates to a view I no longer hold," Johnson said.
"I have since invested a great deal of my time and energies into re-educating myself through reading, attending workshops and entering into debates. As a result, my whole way of thinking has changed. The Inclusion Advisory Board is all about education and changing opinions and, through my own personal experience and learning, I believe I can have a positive influence on the work being done by football on this vital agenda."
Rabbatts said: "I have spoken to Michael in detail about this and I accept his account of what happened and his regret over the incident. More importantly for me and for Michael, we acknowledge that through his own personal journey he has a huge amount to offer to the Inclusion Advisory Board."
The IAB will monitor the delivery of the FA's inclusion and anti-discrimination action plan for 2013-17, which aims to tackle under-representation in the game and states its backing for the government's charter for action against homophobia and transphobia.
Amaechi said: "The FA will say they have brought this man on because of his expertise in anti-racism. The problem is, the reason that homophobia, antisemitism, racism and other misogyny continue to blight football is that the FA does not understand how to tackle it. You don't put one person to handle racism and a gay person for homophobia, you pick people who understand that all bigotry is the same monster.
"I don't know this guy apart from shaking his hand at that TV programme, but I would say this – the problem here was not his religion, it was his interpretation of this. There are plenty of people who are religious who would have been ideal candidates for this board, who could have understood where their personal beliefs started and where human dignity begins," said Amaechi.
"The new quote from Michael Johnson is very welcome. It is good to see he has evolved as an individual. However I maintain that the FA's problems with women, BAME and LGBT communities come from choosing never to engage people who will challenge and educate them but rather insiders who qualify as part of the minority-issue they are trying to address. In general, they need more advice from scholars and less from former players, however well meaning."
Tatchell, who withdrew from the FA's working group against homophobia because he did not feel the organisation was taking the matter seriously, added: "The segment Michael Johnson appeared in was about racism in football. I hope his change of heart is genuine and sincere, if it is that's great.
"This still doesn't address the issue of whether the FA properly researched Johnson's views on tackling homophobia before he was appointed. They still have questions to answer about his appointment criteria and the procedure.
"The FA appears to have done no thorough research on their employees, it looks slapdash and unprofessional. The FA would never appoint a person who refused to support the campaign against racism. Why the double standards?"
