• Players can get up to 10 games for second offence • 'A missed opportunity,' says anti-racism campaigner

The Football Association has voted to introduce a minimum ban of five matches for any player found to have racially abused an opponent but the new tariff immediately came under fire from campaigners for being too lenient.

The review of the minimum sanction for all forms of discrimination was prompted by the incidents involving John Terry and Luis Suárez and a subsequent summit at Downing Street.

The FA chairman, David Bernstein, said the five-match tariff was very much a "floor" and that serious incidents would attract much stiffer sentences, with anything up to a life ban possible for repeat offenders. There is also a sense that the FA has been blindsided by Uefa's proposal to mandate a 10-game minimum ban in its competitions, which will be voted on at its congress in London next week.

"As someone working across borders to promote anti-discrimination I think it's a shame it can't be the 10 games Uefa say they will implement in their own competitions and that they are recommending all national associations will adopt," said the FARE director Piara Powar.

"It is a missed opportunity and also a shame when the FA has already sanctioned a player, Luis Suárez, for more than five matches for racism. One of the biggest concerns is inconsistency and mixed messages."

He added: "It's progress to have a minimum sanction but sanctions for players appear to be made up on the hoof. Why is biting 10 games and racism five games?"

But Bernstein said that the FA's plans had been widely consulted on throughout the game and that it had taken a global lead on the issue. "Uefa have come in very late in the day with this 10-match minimum," said the FA chairman, who will step down in July. "We're showing considerable will – we're very proud of what we've done. Let's see where Uefa get to."

The proposal, accepted at the FA's AGM at Wembley on Thursday, threatens to leave the governing body out of step with Uefa if it passes its plans for a 10-match minimum ban.

However, serious transgressions can attract "significantly higher" suspensions than the five-match entry level. A second offence by the same individual will attract a minimum 10-game ban.

The FA can also charge clubs if two of their players are sanctioned for discriminatory abuse in any 12-month period. Discriminatory offences can relate to ethnic origin, colour, race, religion, gender, gender reassignment, sexual orientation and disability. Bernstein, said that the FA would invest £4m in combating racism and discrimination over the next 12 months. After a Downing Street meeting last year, the FA drew up a 99-point plan. He said that two-thirds of the plan had already been delivered.

"Importantly, today's agreement encompasses all elements of discrimination, not just racial abuse, and the depth of consultation demonstrates how seriously we have taken this subject, to ensure the conclusion is the right one for English football."