Wednesday 17 December 2014 12:28, UK
Anti-discrimination campaigner Lord Ouseley has described the Football Association's decision to appoint a man to lead England's women team as "an insult".
Former Bristol Academy manager Mark Sampson replaced Hope Powell as England boss in December 2013, and has won 10 of his 13 games in charge.
But Ouseley, the chairman of Kick It Out, said the symbolism of having a man in charge sent out the wrong message.
"I don't think it's very helpful if you are trying to promote the women's game, having got rid of a woman who was quite successful, that you then go for a man," Ouseley told Sky Sports News HQ.
"However successful he's going to be I think the future for women's football is that you want women at the top of women's football.
"I think it's a negative way of doing things because what does it say to the women coaches coming through?
It's self-evident that the FA have taken far longer than they should have done to tackle the Malky Mackay allegations.
"I think it's an insult to women to appoint a man to that job. I absolutely do."
Ouseley also called on the FA to speed up its investigation into the texts - reportedly of a homophobic, racist and sexist nature - exchanged between current Wigan boss Malky Mackay and his former colleague at Cardiff, Iain Moody.
Mackay was appointed Wigan boss last month despite the ongoing FA investigation, which was launched in August when details of the texts first emerged.
"I think it's self-evident that the FA have taken far longer than they should have done to tackle this," he said.
"With these issues you need to bring clarity and you need to do it quickly. The longer they go on the more people become suspicious and the more they suspect the FA are going to do very little - that's why we've ended up with a situation where he's been appointed to another job.
"I think the FA will say they're doing a very careful and thorough job and it will take as long as it has to, but they are aware that people have got all sorts of concerns."
