Heather Rabbatts accuses FA of letting down black and ethnic minorities

The Football Association has been accused of letting down black and ethnic minorities by its own board member Heather Rabbatts.

England boss Hodgson used a joke to illustrate the need for his team to give Townsend the ball in Tuesday's 2-0 win over Poland. This incident has since been leaked to the press, sparking a row which led to a letter of complaint being sent to the Football Association by a pressure group. Hodgson expressed frustration that his side's achievement in reaching the World Cup had been overshadowed and Townsend has echoed this view. "It has all been said now, it has been in the news the last few days and I think everyone should focus on us qualifying for Brazil and not focusing on negative, silly news," he said. "The manager told the player to give the ball to me, so that is a compliment in a way."