Non-black former footballers in England are 50% more likely to be promoted to management positions than black players, according to a report published on Tuesday.
UK-based advocacy group Black Footballers' Partnership (BFP) has highlighted the ongoing disparities in the sport in its latest research into coaching diversity, with black managers and assistants also being sacked. They concluded that it was 41% more likely.
“Football should be a game that everyone can enjoy, both on and off the pitch. If you are good enough on the pitch, your hopes and dreams can and should come true,'' said Sol Campbell and Les Ferdinand. a group of black former players, including, wrote in the report's foreword. “The significant reduction in off-field opportunities is disappointing for Black athletes and the industries that rely on their talent.”
The group, which also includes Chris Ramsey, Paul Davis and Ricky Hill, described the lack of opportunities for black coaches as a “systemic problem”.
Burnley's Vincent Kompany started the season as the only black manager in the Premier League. Nuno Espirito Santo, born on the African island of Sao Tome, was hired by Nottingham Forest in December.
In its 2022 report, the BFP revealed that 43% of Premier League players were black, but only 4.4% of former player manager jobs were filled by black applicants.
In the latest report, academics Sam Hoey from the University of Liverpool, Thomas Peters from Erasmus University in Rotterdam and Stefan Szymanski from the University of Michigan stopped playing in England's top two divisions between 1990 and 2010. A sample of approximately 3,500 athletes was studied. Before 2013.
Black managers are also less likely to be promoted, according to the report.
“In short, black former players have fewer opportunities to hold managerial positions, are promoted slower (if at all), stop progressing sooner, and are fired sooner. has nothing to do with it,” BFP said.
“A career in football management can often look like a game of snakes and ladders. But for black former players, there are no ladders, just snakes, and we have the data to prove it,” BFL executive Director Delroy Corinealdi said.
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