Thursday 7 May 2015 12:15, UK
Graham Taylor has denied claims that the Football Association tried to cap the number of black players when he was in charge of the England team.
Taylor insisted he did not block the path of black footballers into his side, claims that have been made in a book titled 'Pitch Black: The Story of Black British Footballers' which will be published on Friday.
The book was written by Emy Onuora, brother of former Huddersfield, Swindon and Gillingham striker Iffy Onuora.
In it, he writes that former Birmingham striker Richie Moran, who later became an anti-racism campaigner, spoke to Taylor at a Watford FC event in the 1999-2000 season and was told by Taylor that he was spoken to by two FA members - who are not named - with the request to limit black players in his team.
Taylor denies that such conversations with anyone from the FA took place.
The 70-year-old told The Guardian: "That is not me trying to evade it - and it also doesn't mean I didn't say it - but if anyone looks at my record with club and country, it would be obvious to everyone anyway that I didn't follow what was apparently said.
"If anyone looks at my record, I could never be accused of blocking the way for any black player."
Taylor later spoke to the BBC and further denied that the FA had ever been involved in player selection, saying: "It has taken me by complete surprise because I cannot remember anything about it at all.
"Certainly never during my time at the Football Association I had no FA people coming up to me and telling me which team to pick and to pick less black players. I would have remembered that.
"I have no memory of that conversation (with Moran). There certainly was an event at Watford. I can remember that, but I certainly have no memory of a conversation about black players.
"I never had any problems regarding team selection concerning black players from the Football Association.
"I'm going to have to take some form of legal advice here. To have my name linked into this kind of thing is totally wrong."
