A report published on Tuesday revealed that non-Black former soccer players in England were 50% more likely than their Black counterparts to advance into management roles.
The U.K.-based advocacy group Black Footballers Partnership (BFP) conducted the study on coaching diversity, shedding light on the persisting disparity in the sport. The report also indicated that Black managers or assistants were 41% more likely to face dismissal.
In the foreword of the report, a group of Black former players including Sol Campbell and Les Ferdinand emphasized the importance of equal opportunities in football. They stated, “Football should be a game for everyone on and off the pitch. If you are good enough on the pitch your dreams and hopes can and should be realized.” However, they lamented the significant lack of off-field opportunities for Black players, which they described as a letdown for both Black players and the industry that relies on their talent.
The group, which also includes Chris Ramsey, Paul Davis, and Ricky Hill, identified the dearth of opportunities for Black coaches as a “systemic issue.”
The report highlighted Vincent Kompany of Burnley as the Premier League’s sole Black manager at the beginning of the season. However, Nuno Espirito Santo, born on the African island of São Tomé, was appointed by Nottingham Forest in December.
According to the BFP’s 2022 report, while 43% of Premier League players were Black, only 4.4% of managerial positions for former players were occupied by Black applicants.
In the latest report, academics Sam Hoey from the University of Liverpool, Thomas Peeters from Erasmus University Rotterdam, and Stefan Szymanski from the University of Michigan analyzed a sample of approximately 3,500 players from England’s top two divisions from 1990 to 2010 who ceased playing in 2013 or earlier.
The report highlighted that Black managerial staff were less likely to be promoted. The BFP stated, “In sum, Black former players get fewer chances at management, get promoted more slowly (if at all), their progress stalls sooner, and they get fired quicker than their non-Black counterparts — and none of that is related to their performance.”
Delroy Corinaldi, BFL executive director, remarked, “A career in football management often looks like a game of snakes and ladders; but for Black former players it’s pretty much all snakes and no ladders, and we have the data to prove it.”
