Sports minister Hugh Robertson has admitted that the number of incidents of racism in football over the past year is a 'worry'.

Liverpool's Luis Suarez and Chelsea defender John Terry were both handed bans for racist abuse in the last 12 months, while there have been a number of incidents involving supporters in the stands.

"I think most of us would be worried by the recurrence of the issues around racism in football," Robertson told BBC Radio 5Live's Sportsweek programme.

Robertson said that the new home of football, St George's Park, could play a key role in bringing through a generation of black coaches and managers.

"I've seen quite a few black players who've asked to come and see me to talk through the problems," he added. "They very clearly feel there aren't enough black coaches, there aren't enough black managers, there's a glass ceiling on top them.

"That's why developments like St George's Park are going to be so important to bring through a new generation of black coaches and black managers to try and tackle this.

"Just look at the FA council, and ask yourself how many ex-black players and how many women there are on that body, it's not a great advertisement."

Robertson also added to the calls for UEFA to impose bigger bans for racist abuse across Europe.