The English FA accepted the resignation of anti-racism campaigner Paul Elliott yesterday after the high profile ex-player admitted racially insulting a former friend and business partner in text messages.

The 48-year-old, who last year was considering an offer to become the first black chairman of an English league club at Charlton Athletic, insulted Richard Rufus after a failed business venture between the two.

Former Chelsea and Celtic defender Elliott had been a trustee of British soccer’s Kick It Out anti-racism campaign since 1996 and also advised European governing body UEFA and world governing body FIFA on racism issues.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.