‘It may take 10 years to tackle football’s lack of diversity’ – FA Council member Rimla Akhtar

Five months ago, Rimla Akhtar became the first Muslim woman on the FA Council. In a body which Football Association chairman, Greg Dyke, says is “overwhelmingly male and white”, Akhtar is seen as the ideal role model for the Asian community.

But, when I mention this, the 32-year-old chartered accountant smiles and says: “That’s up to others to decide.”

She is one of six women on the 121-strong FA Council, which helps decide major policy for the governing body, and her appointment comes at a time when the lack of diversity in positions of power within the game is a hot topic.