Greg Clarke, the FIFA vice president who heads English soccer, faced criticism on Tuesday for setting back moves to increase diversity and eradicate racism after offensive comments at a parliamentary select committee hearing.

The Football Association chairman did apologize for inappropriately referencing “colored footballers," but not for claiming South Asian people have “different career interests” than playing the game and for saying sexuality was a “life choice.”

Sanjay Bhandari, the executive chair of anti-discrimination group Kick It Out, said he was “extremely disappointed” by Clarke's comments during the House of Commons select committee appearance.

“His use of outdated language to describe Black and Asian people as ‘colored’ is from decades ago and should remain consigned to the dustbin of history,” Bhandari said.

“These comments indicate that more still needs to be done to challenge attitudes. For all the steps made forward recently, the comments expressed today are a big step backwards.”

Bhandari was particularly critical of Clarke's “lazy racist stereotypes about south Asians," who are the most underrepresented ethnic minority in English teams.

“If you look at top-level football, the Afro-Caribbean community is overrepresented versus the south Asian community,” Clarke told legislators. “If you go to the I.T. department at the FA, there’s a lot more south Asians than there are Afro-Caribbeans. They have different career interests.”

Clarke referenced “colored footballers” while discussing racist abuse faced by players.

“If I said it I deeply apologize for it,” Clarke said when asked later about it in the committee hearing. “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 color,’ and ... sometimes I trip over my words.”

Former England player Darren Bent, who is Black, tweeted: “Slip of the tongue was it, awful just awful.”

Clarke's reference to sexuality being a “life choice” came while talking about the lack of openly gay male footballers in England.

"I would never pressure anybody to disclose their sexuality," Clarke said. “What I would want to do is to know that anybody who runs out onto the pitch and says on Monday, ‘I’m gay and I’m proud of it and I’m happy and it’s a life choice' ... they would have the support of their mates in the changing room."

Further rebuking Clarke, Bhandari said: “Being gay is not a ‘life choice’ as he claimed.”

There was an outcry three years ago when Clarke appeared at the same select committee overseeing sports and he dismissed some concerns about racism within the FA as “fluff.”

“This isn’t the first time that the FA has come to grief over these issues,” committee chairman Julian Knight pointed out after Tuesday's hearing. "It makes us question their commitment to diversity.”

The FA last month launched a new drive to increase gender and ethnic diversity in coaching and senior leadership positions, with targets set for recruitment.

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