Suarez affair prompts Downing Street summit on football racism

David Cameron will meet with representatives from football and anti-discrimination groups today amid continued fallout from the row between footballers Luis Suarez and Patrice Evra.

With the England football camp still in turmoil following the FA's decision to strip captain John Terry of his armband over allegations of racial abuse, Downing Street has decided to step in.

The government is determined to tackle the persistent issue of discrimination and racism in football and to emphasise its support for the 'kick-it-out campaign'.

Representatives from the Football Association (FA), the Premier League, the Football League, The Professional Footballers’ Association and the League Managers’ Association as well as individuals including John Barnes, Graeme LeSaux, Paul Elliott and Amal Fashanu are expected to attend.

The meeting builds on the government's 'charter for action', which launched a well-resourced campaign to tackle homophobia.  It also comes amid FA-backed measures to address discrimination at the grassroots and community level.

The government also said it will provide £3 million of funding towards the FA's new national coaching centre at St George’s Park.

The centre will help to identify and train the next generation of coaches, with a particular emphasis on ensuring that more coaches from black and minority ethnic backgrounds can take advantage of the facilities and progress to the professional game.