Tuesday 3 March 2020 13:22, UK
Bobby Barnes has confirmed to Sky Sports News that he expects to join UEFA's Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body in July.
UEFA has changed the rules to allow extra members to join the panel, with Barnes' appointment set to be formally ratified by UEFA's Executive Committee in May. Barnes is the FA's recommendation.
Barnes, now the European president of the international players' union Fifpro, suffered racist abuse as a player and, speaking at the UEFA Congress in Amsterdam, he outlined his plans to tackle a problem he does not believe has been dealt with in an acceptable manner.
"We seem to have had the same conversation now over a number of years," Barnes told Sky Sports News. "I am talking back to my own experiences over 40 years, and the fact we are still talking about anti-racism measures 40 years on is a failing.
"We have all become a little bit complacent and thought that the job had already been done. Certainly recently we have seen it creep back into our stadiums and in a nasty way online. That has become a whole new battlefield and what is happening online now is downright criminal. The fact that people can act like that with impunity really concerns me.
"There has to be more responsibility taken to ensure that people cannot post what they do without in anonymity.
"There have been stadium closures and I have to say that has not been a resounding success. I am not saying that this should not be a weapon in the armoury, but I think that if it means you have to take stronger action then hopefully that right-minded fans will start self-policing their own."
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin was full of praise for Barnes' abilities and insisted he will be a welcome addition.
"He is certainly the proposal of the English FA," Ceferin said. "It's not just about diversity, it's that he knows football. If, and I'm sure the Executive Committee will approve, he will be a great member that can add a lot";
