Football has a "hidden resistance" preventing black
managers getting jobs, says players' union boss
Gordon Taylor.
The Professional Footballers' Association chief
executive said the Football League failed to fulfil a
"promise" to discuss the 'Rooney Rule' introduced in
American football.
The rule has been credited with an increase in black
coaches in the NFL.
"You see so many black players on the pitch, yet we
have two black managers out of 92," said Taylor.
In a wide-ranging interview with BBC Sport, the
players' union chief executive spoke about a lack of
black managers in the English game and the
difficulties in getting more home-grown players into
Premier League teams.
Taylor on the 'Rooney Rule'
Discussions took place last year about introducing an
equivalent rule in English football called the
Coaching Fair Play scheme.
But with Chris Powell at Huddersfield and Carlisle's
Keith Curle the only black managers currently
employed within the 92 clubs of the Premier League
and Football League, Taylor now wants the 'Rooney
Rule' to be introduced.
The 'Rooney Rule'
The 'Rooney Rule' was established in 2003 and
named after Dan Rooney, the owner of the
Pittsburgh Steelers and the chairman of the NFL's
diversity committee. It requires NFL teams to
interview at least one black or ethnic minority
candidate for head coaching and senior football
operation opportunities that become available, as
part of a transparent and open recruitment process
"There is a hidden resistance," he said.
"We approached the Football League in the first
place. Greg Clarke, the chairman, promised to bring
the 'Rooney Rule' up at their annual general meeting
and, for one reason or another, the issue was not
even raised.
"You see so many black players on the pitch and yet
we have two black managers out of 92.
"The whole recruitment process needs to be more
professional, more diverse and, equality-wise, fairer.
We've struggled to do that."
Government intervention
"Football's our major sport, it makes a massive
contribution to the economy.
"We've looked to the government for help with
stadiums when we had problems with hooliganism
and safety at grounds, and we've set an example to
the rest of the world. We've got state-of-the-art
stadiums.
"We need to look to government with regard to
greater equality in football at managers and coaches
level and also with regard to youth development
level."
Facts and figures
The PFA says about 18% of players on their
coaching courses are black or from other ethnic
minorities
There are 192 Uefa Pro Licence owners in England
and 14 of those are black coaches
Around 25% of players in the professional game are
non-white
There were five black managers in English
professional football last season but, of Chris
Hughton, Chris Powell, Paul Ince, Chris Kiwomya
and Edgar Davids, only Powell now has a job
Lost youth
"Six hundred players a year get taken on at the age
of 16 by clubs in the Football League and Premier
League. Of those, 500 are out of the game by the
time they're 21.
"If we were a university, our youth development
programme would be turned down, if not closed
down, because the success rate is just not good
enough.
"They're hitting a glass ceiling."
Lack of home-grown players
"I'm concerned we're becoming a finishing school for
other countries.
"Politically and as a nation, we have a duty to
encourage the younger generation to aspire to
become professionals and see some light at the end
of the tunnel.
"There have been moves now for some years to look
at home-grown players, irrespective of nationality,
who've been with a club from 16 to 21 for at least
three years - the definition of a home-grown player -
to be in a squad of 25.
"We should be talking about four home-grown
players in the starting line-up, and one of those
players to be club-grown as well. That would be an
incentive for clubs to make sure they are doing all
they can to give youngsters a chance.
"But the issue is so serious now that we need to be a
lot more direct and positive and clear."
Football's 'trade deficit'
"The fact is for many years now we've seen our
young players do well, get to 19, 20, 21, and
suddenly disappear from the game.
"We're buying from abroad - in the last transfer
window there was some £850m spent.
"There's a trade deficit for football. That's a great
deal of money leaving this country which could be
used for facilities for the future."
International failure
"In the World Cup England fans didn't have high
expectations and unfortunately they were realistic
expectations.
"In any sport, the real litmus test is how we do at
international level.
"In football we're settling too easily for saying we've
got a good league system and it's all about the
Champions League.
"We've come to have such low expectations of our
national side and yet in Germany there's such a
combination between the league and the country for
Germany to do well.
"These are key football issues. If we can't get them
addressed within the game properly then we'll go to
government and see if they can address them at that
level."
by ROTMANLUV 2023-07-08, 17:34
