Football’s  governing body FIFA has criticised Falcons coach Eucharia Uche for branding homosexuality as ‘dirty’ and admitting she forced lesbians out of her team. “FIFA is against all forms of discrimination,” Tatjana Haenni, FIFA’s head of women’s competitions, told German television channel ARD.

Haenni said FIFA will be talking to Uche about her comments and reminded the coach of the governing bodies statutes. In a mission statement, FIFA says it wants to use the sport in ‘overcoming social and cultural obstacles for women with the ultimate aim of improving women’s standing in society’.

“We are here at a FIFA event and will point out that it would be best to express oneself neutrally,” said Haenni. Uche sparked controversy in a New York Times interview ahead of the women’s World Cup, which started last Sunday, in which she called homosexuality ‘dirty’ and insisted it was ‘spiritually and morally very wrong’.  Uche said she  removed lesbians from the Falcons.

“Yes, the lesbians in our team were really a big problem,” she said having taken over as coach in 2009. “But since I’m coach of the Super Falcons, that has been cleared up.“There are no more lesbian players in my team.“I can not tolerate this dirty life.” Germany reserve goalkeeper Ursula Holl is married to a woman and first-choice shot-stopper Nadine Angerer is openly bisexual.