JUDGE a man by the content of his character, not by the colour of his skin.
Following the awful murder of George Floyd in America, the Black Lives Matter movement increased the volume, putting racial equality firmly front and centre.
Chris Powell is one of few BAME coaches to be given a chance in English footballCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Sport isn’t above this discussion and neither should it be.
Kick It Out and Diversity For Fans, two well-established football groups in pursuit of racial equality (who could well use more profile and better financing), could have been the ‘go to’ route for players in this country to show support.
Instead, football gave in to players, incorporating BLM on the field of play.
And the pitch should be a place of neutrality.
Players now have too much power. The structure, regulations and messaging of the sport should be enforced by the authorities.
It is one thing handing over all the financial benefits of football to the players, it is another entirely to cede control to them.
Allowing one message opens the door to all, and given the BLM organisation itself has far more sinister motives than racial equality, we’ve seen distancing from the Premier League and Sky.
Racial equality isn’t a bonus or privilege, it is a fundamental right — as is equal opportunity.
It’s important to establish why racial inequality exists and then focus on the solution. But it needs facts over feelings.”
Yet equal opportunity doesn’t necessarily mean equal outcome. Talent gives that.
In football, statistically, there’s an under-representation from the BAME community in dugouts, boardrooms and coaching roles.
The claim is that systemic racism and unconscious bias are to blame.
Yet, surely, statistics are the beginning of a conversation, rather than the conclusion.
It’s important to establish why racial inequality exists and then focus on the solution. But it needs facts over feelings.
Twenty-five professional clubs in England have employed black managers, albeit often the same ones like, Chris Powell, Paul Ince and Keith Curle.
Premier League players have taken a knee before every game as a show of solidarity against racial injusticeCredit: PA:Press Association
This suggests the game isn’t institutionally racist but perhaps that the supply channel of candidates from the community isn’t big enough.
So, why is that?
Perceived stigma perhaps plays a part.
The belief that ‘if you are black, it’s not worth applying’ must not be advanced, nor should the fact others have failed be a deterrent.
During my ownership of Crystal Palace, a club steeped in multi-ethnicity, I never received an application for the manager’s vacancy from the BAME community — and I had eight managers in ten years.
I’ve often asked and really never been given answers on the percentage of qualified coaches from the BAME community to measure the disparity.
Football must evolve, with best practice, and look for best in class.
Perhaps a successful model to look to is the PFA, with Brendan Batson, Clarke Carlisle, current deputy chief executive Bobby Barnes and Jason Lee all holding senior positions.
Football owes it to itself to dispel all myths, remove all perceived and real barriers and allow talent to go where it wants — at all levels.
A failure to do that is in nobody’s best interest.
Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson speaks about ‘cowardly and despicable’ racial abuse levelled at Wilfried Zaha before Aston Villa match
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
