Football, like all things, is not perfect. The so-called ‘beautiful game’ has its fair share of imperfections, with racism and discrimination still at large. the Euro 2020 final is a stark reminder that England has not solved this issue. Bukayo Saka, Marcus Rashford and Jadon Sancho all suffered racial abuse after missing crucial penalties, that would have given the England men's team their long-desired silverware.
Fast forward to today, and the recent release of this year's football ‘Black List’, a list of black footballers, administrators, LGBTQ+ activists, media journalists and more, that have made a strong impact on the development of the game across all areas. The list was first published in 2008, and over the course of the last 25 years has shone a light on black professionals working in and around the sport. The aforementioned Saka and Rashford earned a spot on the list, as well as other notable names including Les Ferdinand, who is currently the only black Director of Football in the English game, and Andre Gray, former Premier League player and co-founder of the Black Fund, which promotes equality in investment.
Black football managers are also celebrated here, and among the names is current Crystal Palace manager Patrick Viera, the former Arsenal captain and World Cup winner with France. Viera has been at the helm since 2021, turning the club’s woes around and bringing them up the table and into some more consistent form. Viera seems a great fit for the club on all levels.
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| Photo from Goal.com |
On several occasions Viera has stressed his disappointment at the lack of black managers in the English football league. Statistics show that 34% of English Football League players are black, but only 4.4% of managers. Viera has stated that there is “still a long way to go” to in equal representation. He is undoubtedly correct. At time of writing, he is the only black manager in the Premier League, and of the 98 total top-flight clubs across Europe’s top 5 leagues, only 2 have black managers .
Recent stats from the Football Association show that currently, 34% of English Football League players are black, but only 4.4% of managers. There are and always will be opportunities for black managers to take charge at top level clubs, of course, but sadly there simply aren't enough black managers currently operating in the top leagues to increase this number.
Viera’s wishes, and what he has made clear, is for more and
more up and coming black managers to push themselves and get involved with
these managerial roles. In an interview on the Football News show back in
October, Viera was passionate in his wishes for more black individuals in and
around the footballing sphere to get into coaching at any level in order to
“change the mentality” but also to “fight discrimination…to be treated like
everyone else”.
Viera also added that he “felt no pressure” in terms of being the sole black coach in the Premier League, adding that as a manager you are judged on the wins and losses and nothing else.
Next season, however, the Premier League will likely see another black manager in the form of Burnley boss Vincent Kompany. Kompany, in a short period, has expertly demonstrated his management skills, giving a fresh bounce to a recently relegated Burnley side who had also parted with long-term manager and club legend Sean Dyche.
Kompany is still relatively young in the world of management, just 36 years old and having only retired from his playing career in the 2019/2020 season. Burnley is his second managerial gig and his first in the English Football League. During Kompany’s playing career the Belgian demonstrated tremendous skill and reading from the game, having captained Pep Guardiola’s all conquering Manchester City. It seems Kompany has learnt plenty from Guardiola who is considered one of the greatest managers ever. Burnley have lost only twice in the Championship after 29 games played. In a very short period Kompany has emerged as a very promising coach who is likely to carry on this form in the Premier League.
It’s also important to note managers with perhaps less success, the likes of Jimmy Floyd Hasselbank who was last at Burton Albion, joining in early 2021 and managing the club for 18 months, and more recently Kolo Toure, who was sacked from his role at Wigan Athletic last month. While things may have not gone to plan, both are actively involved in management and seeking out opportunities to grow and improve as coaches.
The issue surrounding a lack of black managers operating in the English football league, is not a recent issue, and has been talked about for many years.
The FA enforces the Football Leadership Diversity Code, which applies to all Premier League teams as well as 32 other teams across the EFL. Within it, there are several targets that these teams should aim to meet. For example, there is a specific quota which says that 15% of senior management role hirings at every club should be of black, Asian or mixed heritage backgrounds. The results for last season showed that across all clubs, the quota was not met, at only 10.3%. Therefore, it’s evident that English clubs could be doing more to promote diversity and inclusivity within their teams.
Though, with the emergence of Kompany to the Premier League
as well as the continued influence and inspiration that Viera gives, as well as
his activism around the issue, we may hopefully begin to see more and more
black coaches come into the game and find success.
The Black List also serves as a great point of information
to highlight influential black names in the wider game, and will hopefully
continue to open the doors to a new generation.