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Luis Suarez (R) refused to shake Patrice Evra's hand

BBC

Racism remains a "significant problem" in British football despite improvements in recent years, according to a government report.

MPs also said homophobia may now be the most prevalent form of discrimination.

The report responds to "continuing concerns" following the Patrice Evra-Luis Suarez and John Terry cases, reports the BBC.

John Whittingdale MP, chair of the inquiry, said: "Recent incidents of racist abuse in the UK highlight that there remain significant problems."

Last December, Liverpool's Suarez was handed an eight-match ban and a £40,000 fine by the Football Association after being found guilty of racially abusing Manchester United's Evra.

In July, ex-England captain John Terry was cleared of racially abusing fellow footballer Anton Ferdinand.

Outside of English football, Euro 2012 was affected by instances of racist chanting at training sessions and matches. The Croatian Football Federation was fined 80,000 euros (£65,000) after fans directed racist abuse at Italy striker Mario Balotelli.

The Culture, Media and Sport committee report said that behaviour and the atmosphere at football matches had "changed hugely" since the 1970s and 80s "when racial and other forms of abuse were common".

It added that several initiatives and charities such as Show Racism the Red Card have helped to reduce racism where it is most prevalent - on the streets, in the grounds and online - but more still needs to be done.

"While the general level of progress in combating racism and racist abuse in the UK is positive, there is much more that can and must be done," added Whittingdale.

"We believe it is for the FA to take the lead and set the example for everyone, from football authorities at all levels to the grassroots groups, to follow."

In a joint statement, the FA, the Premier League and the Football League acknowledged the need to address discrimination in football.

It read: "We agree with the committee that while substantial progress has been made to promote equality and tackle discrimination in the game, challenges remain for all of the football authorities.
"We will continue to work across the entire breadth of the sport to deliver our inclusion and anti-discrimination agenda. In doing so, we will consider in detail how the committee's recommendations can support and influence this work."

Steve Rotheram MP, a member of the Culture, Media and Sport committee, argued that a lack of ethnic diversity in management and boardroom positions at many English clubs was holding back the fight against racism.

He said: "There appears to be a lack of people from black and minority ethnic groups who are making their way to senior positions in the game.

"Some boards are all-male and all-white with no diversity there, and managers in the top tier of the Premier League and the Championship are almost all white, so there are some glass ceilings that need to be broken down."

While collating data for the inquiry, the report found evidence which suggests homophobia may now be a bigger problem in football than other forms of discrimination.

"Recent research found that 25% of fans think that football is homophobic while 10% think that football is racist. About 14% of recent match attendees also reported hearing homophobic abuse," the report stated.

As a result, it called for a high-profile campaign to highlight the damaging effect of homophobic language and behaviour around football at every level.

The report also called on governing bodies UEFA and FIFA to take stronger leadership on tackling racism.