On the eve of facing Spain Lord Ouseley rejoices that players from BAME backgrounds are ‘now judged on whether they can play football and nothing else’

About 100 words into Lord Ouseley’s latest statement on behalf of Kick It Out on Thursday questioning the suitability of those in charge of the Football Association to continue in their posts after the Eni Aluko/Mark Sampson controversy, there were two sentences that stood out. “When you look at the recent success of England’s youth sides, particularly the achievements of the under‑17s men’s team, you will see a high level of diverse representation on the field,” he wrote. “That is the only area in which English football seems to treat black and minority ethnic people fairly.”

To anyone who has watched the progress of Steve Cooper’s side to Saturday’s final against Spain – or indeed their under-20s counterparts’ victory in their equivalent World Cup in June – Ouseley was stating the obvious. Of the team that started the thrilling 3-1 victory against Brazil on Wednesday, eight came from a black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) background, as did five other members of the 21-man squad.

It is estimated that the number of non‑white players in the Premier League has risen from 16% in 1992 to 33% at the start of this season. Things have come a long way since early pioneers such as Benjamin Odeje, Laurie Cunningham and Viv Anderson became the first black players to pull on an England shirt some 40 years ago.

“It’s just the norm now,” says Cyrille Regis, who played in the England under‑21 side that reached the 1980 European Championship semi-finals and won five senior caps. “In any club or academy these days black players are judged on whether they can play football and nothing else. That’s a real sign of how things have changed.”

Along with the captain, Joel Latibeaudiere of Manchester City, Chelsea’s Ivory Coast-born defender Marc Guehi is the only player to have started all six of England’s matches in India. Another squad member, the Manchester United forward Angel Gomes, is the son of one of the Portugal side that won this competition in 1991 and was born in London while his father was turning out for non-league Hendon.

Cooper, a Welshman whose father Keith was a former Premier League referee, believes the current generation has shown it is a match for anyone after swatting aside the favourites Brazil in the semi-finals. “I really believe in not just this group of players but all of the England teams,” he said. “We have talent throughout the system and talent with potential as well. They are performing well now but I see longevity in the performances which really is the exciting bit.”

For now, though, the painful memories of their defeat on penalties by Saturday’s opponents in May’s European Championship final are driving this group forward, with Latibeaudiere and the tournament top scorer Rhian Brewster impressing having missed penalties in that shootout. England had been leading 2-1 going into the sixth minute of injury time after goals from Callum Hudson‑Odoi and Phil Foden when Nacho Díaz equalised with the last kick of the game, with Spain winning the shootout 4-1.

Foden, in the absence of his former Manchester City team-mate Jadon Sancho, who scored three times in the group stages before being recalled to make his Bundesliga debut for Borussia Dortmund last week, has been the creative hub of a team that has scored 17 goals in the tournament and showed the mental strength so usually lacking in England sides to defeat Japan on penalties in the last 16. Foden enthralled Pep Guardiola during City’s pre-season match against United in Houston and his vision and range of passing – coupled with the pace of Chelsea’s Hudson-Odoi and Steven Sessegnon of Fulham – enabled Brewster to score back-to-back hat-tricks against USA and Brazil to take his tally to seven, although winning the Golden Boot at this competition is no guarantee of future success.

Spain’s Cesc Fàbregas and Carlos Vela of Mexico managed it in 2003 and 2005, yet the rest of a list that includes the former Liverpool forward Florent Sinama Pongolle for France in 2001 and Ivory Coast’s Souleymane Coulibaly – now without a club at 22 after spells at Tottenham Hotspur, Peterborough and Kilmarnock – should act as a warning. But with England having the chance to follow Brazil of 2003 and become only the second nation to win Fifa’s under-17 and under-20 World Cups in the same year, the future looks positive.

Meet the England players who have reached the under-17 World Cup final Read more

“It shows that the FA is doing something right,” said Regis, who works as an agent and helps mentor young players. “The next level is how many can go on and have long established careers? Playing for England is fantastic at that age but they need to be given opportunities.”

Those Brazil sides of 2003 contained only a handful of players who made it at the very highest level, including Dani Alves and Fernandinho, and only two of the victorious under-17 team have gone on to represent the senior side. Nonetheless Cooper, who achieved his Uefa Pro licence at 27 and has coached at Wrexham and Liverpool, is confident that winning this year’s edition can help change attitudes at Premier League clubs.

“To think that we would be the holder of the two development World Cups would be an amazing achievement, but I also think you have to look a bit further than that,” he said. “It’s also great recognition for what is going on with youth academies and the England teams, the work that is being done and it’s really showcasing the talent and the potential these boys have.

“ We’ve played with real pride, real passion but with real expertise and the ideas we’re implementing as well. I take great pride in that and just really hope that we can see this through.”

BBC2 to broadcast final

The Football League says it is unware of any complaints from clubs over the decision to broadcast today’s Under‑17 World Cup final live on BBC2. Since the 1960s the TV blackout rule has prevented live domestic matches being televised between 2.45pm and 5.15pm on a Saturday in the UK – an attempt to avoid any impact on match attendances. England, featuring Rhian Brewster kick off against Spain at 3.30pm BST. Paul Simpson, who led England to victory at the Under‑20 World Cup in June, will be a studio guest. A crowd of around 65,000 is expected for the match at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata.