There have long been question marks over the Football Association’s attitude to black players. The book ‘Pitch Black’ by Emy Onuora, published in 2015, reported a conversation with Graham Taylor in which Taylor said the FA tried to impose an unofficial quota system on the number of black players an England manager should be allowed to use. Taylor (England manager from 1990 to 1993) allegedly said he had been summoned by two members of the FA’s hierarchy and told “in no uncertain terms” he should not go beyond a certain limit.
Taylor is said to have made the remark during a function at Watford’s ground during the 1999-2000 season when Richie Moran was the guest speaker. Moran, a Birmingham City player in the 1990s who eventually quit the game because of the racial abuse he suffered, recalls in Onuora’s book: “Graham Taylor came up to me and said: ‘Look, I’m going to tell you something … I’m never going to admit it, I will be sued for libel.’ He said: ‘When I was manager of England I was called in by two members of the FA, who I won’t name …’ I volunteered two names. He said: ‘I’m not prepared to say, but I was told in no uncertain terms not to pick too many black players for the national side.’”
Other guests at the event also heard the conversation. Taylor died in 2017 but when the book came out in 2015 he initially said he could not specifically remember the conversation with Moran. “That is not me trying to evade it – and it also doesn’t mean I didn’t say it – but if anyone looks at my record with club and country it would be obvious to everyone anyway that I didn’t follow what was apparently said. If anyone looks at my record, I could never be accused of blocking the way for any black player.” Later he was more categoric in asserting that the conversation never took place “I have no memory of that conversation (with Moran). There certainly was an event at Watford. I can remember that, but I certainly have no memory of a conversation about black players.” Taylor went on to say that he would be taking legal advice about what was being said but, if he did, we are unaware of any subsequent legal action.
Moran, was quoted in the Guardian newspaper at the time of the book’s publication strongly refuting Taylor’s denials. “I have a very vivid memory of the conversation.” He went on “I’m not saying for one moment that Graham Taylor had any intentions … all I’m saying is that that is a conversation I had with him. I have no reason to make it up.”
Just to show that there is nothing new under the sun the story of Jack Leslie, a player called up to represent England in 1925 and then ‘un-called up’ a few days later, is one we have been aware of for some time.
Here is recent article on the subject by Martin Johnes of Swansea University and Alex Jackson of the National Football Museum:
Jack Leslie was the first black player to represent Plymouth Argyle and will feature in our forthcoming book ‘Football’s Black Pioneers’. He never did play for England though.