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Football regulator proposals put diversity on the subs bench, says Kick It Out

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The head of anti-discrimination body Kick It Out says that initial proposals by English football’s independent regulator “put equality, diversity and inclusion on the subs bench”.

The watchdog for the top five tiers of the men’s game is devising a new code of governance, with clubs having to show what they are doing to tackle under-representation of minorities in order to be granted a licence.

In correspondence sent to the independent football regulator (IFR) as part of a consultation process – and seen by BBC Sport – Kick It Out claims that the proposed measures are “inadequate”.

“[It] doesn’t go far enough in addressing the stubborn challenges that the game currently sees,” said Kick It Out chief executive Samuel Okafor.

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“We’ve been really clear with the regulator in terms of the gap that currently exists. And the gap is significant.

“We’re really concerned that what we’ve seen in the first proposal, in essence, puts EDI [equality, diversity and inclusion] on the subs bench, [and] maintains the status quo.

“It’s really important that the regulator uses the powers that it has to drive the change that we all want to see.”

Among a series of recommendations, Kick It Out says it wants annual publication of clubs’ workforce diversity data, and every club to have board-level accountability for EDI.

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Last month, police confirmed they were investigating after four Premier League players experienced online racial abuse over the course of one weekend, and Okafor said the spate of incidents showed why change was required.

“It should send a message to the regulators [over] the importance of why EDI really matters, why they need to prioritise it, why they need to take it seriously,” he said.

In response, an IFR spokesperson said that it will shortly be launching a second consultation on its licensing policy, “and so it is premature to assert deficiencies in our approach to EDI”.

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Rennae Stubbs accuses Donald Trump of ‘disrespecting’ US Army soldiers killed in Iran drone strike

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4 minutes ago

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10 March 2026

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Rennae Stubbs recently accused President Donald Trump of ‘disrespecting’ US Army soldiers killed in an Iranian drone strike. The former tennis star criticized Trump as a ‘draft dodger’ after the President showed up to the dignified transfer of the soldiers in a baseball cap.

Earlier this week, an Iranian drone strike in Kuwait killed six service members. The US Army Reserve soldiers were brought home in a dignified transfer at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware on Saturday, March 7 and Trump, alongside first lady Melania Trump and Vice President JD Vance were in attendance for the event.

Recently, an Instagram Threads user shared a picture from the event, writing,

“President Trump, First Lady Melania Trump and Vice President Vance honoring with Dignified Transfer the 6 members of our military who lost their lives. God bless these heroes and their families.”

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Reacting to this, Rennae Stubbs accused President President Donald Trump of ‘disrespecting’ the fallen soldiers, writing,

“Disrespecting them with a hat on. What do you expect from a draft dodger.”

Rennae Stubbs shares sweet golfing moment in memory of her mother

Stubbs at the City Cup (Image Source: Getty)Stubbs at the City Cup (Image Source: Getty)
Stubbs at the City Cup (Image Source: Getty)

Rennae Stubbs recently invited fans behind-the-scenes into her life with a sweet glimpse into her golfing outing. The Australian revealed that she used to often golf with her mother, but hadn’t been out on the course since her mother passed away last year.

She went on to share that she recently returned to the sport, wearing her mother’s chain around her neck, and unlocked an incredible achievement, writing on X,

“If you don’t know, I love golf & so did my mum. She played her whole life & when she passed last year, I hadn’t played golf since. Well I played for the 1st time yesterday, wearing her chain around my neck & this happened! Thankgod i filmed it. Thx 😇 #holeinone #seinseiporcupine.”

As a tennis player, Rennae Stubbs competed on the WTA Tour between 1992 and 2011. The Australian was a doubles specialist, and won four women’s doubles Grand Slam titles as well as two mixed doubles Major championships.

After calling time on her career in 2011, Stubbs shifted her focus to coaching. In recent years, the 54-year-old has worked with the likes of Serena Williams, Eugenie Bouchard, Karolina Pliskova and Samantha Stosur.

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