Greg Clarke
Gregory Clarke | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 27, 1957 Leicester, England |
| Occupation(s) | Entrepreneur, football official |
| Known for | Chairman of The Football Association (2016–2020), Vice President of FIFA (2019–2020) |
Gregory Allison Clarke (born 27 October 1957) is a British entrepreneur and football official who held the position of chairman at The Football Association from 4 September 2016 until his departure on 10 November 2020, prompted by controversial statements made to Members of Parliament. He was appointed Vice President of FIFA on 7 February 2019 but stepped down from this role on 12 November 2020.
Business career
Clarke, a native of Leicester, attended Gateway Grammar School. He currently leads several companies owned by private equity firms, including Eteach UK Ltd.
His leadership background encompasses roles such as CEO of Cable & Wireless Communications until the year 2000 and CEO of Lendlease between 2002 and 2009. Additionally, he briefly served as CEO of O3b Networks and has been a board member at both Bupa and MTN.
Football administration
Between 1999 and 2002, Clarke was both chairman and director of Leicester City. He also chaired The Football League from March 2010 through June 2016. Following nomination by the FA board in July 2016, he assumed the chairmanship of the FA on 4 September that year. On 7 February 2019, he was elected FIFA Vice President representing the UEFA region at the 43rd UEFA Congress held in Rome.
During his tenure as FA chairman, Clarke oversaw responses to allegations concerning historic sexual abuse within football, alongside addressing issues related to racism and bullying connected to the cases involving Mark Sampson and Eniola Aluko. In October 2017, he initiated a comprehensive review of the FA after conceding it had "lost the trust of the public" amid these controversies.
Public comments
Clarke encountered criticism in October 2017 from abuse survivor Andy Woodward over comments made during a hearing with the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee. The Professional Footballers' Association's chief executive Gordon Taylor contemplated legal action after Clarke implied that Taylor had failed to provide Woodward with additional counseling support.
On 10 November 2020, following a meeting with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Clarke resigned immediately as FA chairman after making remarks during discussions about racist abuse toward players. These included referring to BAME footballers as "coloured people," describing a gay footballer's coming out as a "life choice," asserting that young female players disliked powerful shots, and attributing South Asian players’ career decisions to "different interests." Two days later, he also relinquished his position as FIFA Vice President.
Earlier, Clarke had dismissed claims of institutional racism in football as "fluff" before the same parliamentary committee. After receiving criticism from MPs and reminders regarding the impact of his language, he issued an apology. The FA itself had previously been described as "shambolic" by a parliamentary inquiry.