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The Football Association attempted to limit the number of black players on the England national team, according to the new book "Pitch Black," in excerpts published by the Guardian. However, former England manager Graham Taylor has denied the FA were ever involved in player selection while he led the team from 1990-93. Former Birmingham player Richie Moran says Taylor informed him during the 1999-2000 season that two members of the FA had previously instituted an unofficial racial quota to keep the side primarily white. In the book, written by Emy Onuora, Moran recalls: "Graham Taylor came up to me and said: 'Look, I'm going to tell you something... I'm never going to admit it, I will be sued for libel.' He said: 'When I was manager of England I was called in by two members of the FA, who I won't name...' "I volunteered two names. He said: 'I'm not prepared to say, but I was told in no uncertain terms not to pick too many black players for the national side.'" Taylor has a strong record of promoting black footballers. The FA no longer has any active members dating to that period. Moran eventually quit the game after suffering repeated racial abuse and has been one of the sport's leading anti-racism campaigners. In 2004, Taylor was reported to have repeated the FA's instruction at an anti-racism function but he has never gone public with the allegations. He told The Guardian that he could not remember the conversation with Moran. "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 [by the FA members]," Taylor said. "If anyone looks at my record, I could never be accused of blocking the way for any black player." Later on BBC Radio Five Live, Taylor refuted that he ever knew of FA members asking him to choose his players based on racial lines. "It has taken me by complete surprise because I cannot remember anything about it at all," he said. "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." He said of the possibility of any conversation with FA members about restricting black players: "That is one of the things you're never going to forget. I''m so annoyed about it... "There was never any interruption, there was never anyone coming in and asking, 'Why have you selected him?' "I never had any problems regarding team selection concerning black players from the Football Association." The BBC reported that the FA is "aware of the allegations, adding that it takes matters of equality very seriously and is proud of the diverse nature of the England team." Onuora suggests in his book, launching this week, that Taylor was not the first English manager to receive the same instructions on a racial quota. "Moran's revelation reveals that the FA's primary concern was to preserve a predominantly white image of the England team, an image that they themselves had constructed and took great steps to preserve," Onuora wrote. "There is no question of Taylor having acted on those instructions, but the episode raises some important questions as to how many other England managers were given the same instructions and therefore felt pressurised to limit the numbers of black players selected to play for the national side. "During his playing career, Paul Davis had wondered whether some kind of unofficial quota system was in operation, but had never considered it beyond mere speculation. It would raise the question of how many black players had had their chances of playing for England restricted and what impact this might have had on England's fortunes."
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