Kick It Out chairman Lord Ouseley has hit back at criticism of the organisation and blamed the FA for the continuation of racism in the English game.

A number of Premier League footballers including Rio Ferdinand refused to wear the company's t-shirts as a front against racism in the weekend's fixtures, with the players disenchanted with the organisation's efforts.

Ouseley has stated that the FA are the governing body of the game and as such the players' disillusionment should be aimed elsewhere.

"We don't make the decisions, we don't run football. We are a small charity trying to help football come to terms with the reality of the 21st century," he is quoted as saying in The Guardian.

"We can shout from the rooftops and I can understand what the black players are saying: you are too involved in the game in the way you operate to be independent and say the things that have to be said.

"The power and decision-making is with the Football Association and the Premier League. We all would have liked the John Terry case to have been wrapped up within days last October, alas it's lasted a whole year and it has caused a lot of pain and grief.

" They know what has to be done. We've been knocking on their door for a long, long, long time so they know what their responsibilities are. The absence of their voices during all this has been noticeable," he concluded.

The English game has been blighted by acts of racism over the last two years.