Football Association chairman Greg Clarke has apologised for referring to “coloured footballers” while giving evidence to MPs.

Clarke said sorry to Parliament after describing BAME players as “coloured footballers” while giving evidence to a Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Committee meeting on Tuesday. Clarke was answering a question around the difficulty of gay players in the men’s game coming out because of social media backlash.

Clarke had said: “If I look at what happens to high-profile female footballers, to high-profile coloured footballers, and the abuse they take on social media… social media is a free-for-all.” A few minutes later, DCMS committee member Kevin Brennan MP asked Clarke if he wished to withdraw the use of the word “coloured”.

If I said it, I deeply apologise for it,” Clarke replied.

“Secondly, I am a product of having worked overseas, I worked in the USA for many years, where I was required to use the term ‘people of colour’ sometimes because that was the product of their diversity legislation and positive discrimination format. Sometimes I trip over my words.”