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Sacked Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira says doors are not open” for black managers in England
Vieira, the only black manager in the Premier League, says more needs to be done to encourage black players into management.
A new report shows that 43% of Premier League and 34% of EFL players are black, but only 4.4% of managers.
“We have to give opportunities to people of colour,” Vieira told BBC’s Football News Show.
“We are as good as anybody else. And we need to have no more or less opportunity than anybody else.
“When you are looking at the top five leagues in the world and you’re looking at the number of black coaches you have in the first or second division, it is not enough.
“There is a lack of opportunity there. There is a lack of connection from black players to connect ourselves a little bit more with people who are making the decisions.
“But overall I believe that the doors are not open for us to do what we can do and to go into management. When I talk about management I’m talking about the team, but I’m also talking about the higher level as well.
“We need to be given more opportunities to show that we are as good as anybody else.”
Vieira, one of the finest players in the Premier League era, won the World Cup with France in 1998 and the European Championship two years later.
In a glittering career at Arsenal the midfielder won the Premier League three times, including the double twice, and was part on the ‘Invincibles’ team that went unbeaten in 2003-04. He also won the Serie A title five times.
After his playing career ended he managed New York City and Nice before taking over at Palace in June 2021.
Vierira said encouragement from Manchester City managing director Brian Marwood as he finished his playing career that led him into management.
“I spoke a lot with Brian Marwood and he made me understand that having the career I had as a player wasn’t enough,” he said.
“I decided to go through my (coaching) badges and to start with City Under-21s and to go to New York. I needed to build that credibility as well as the experience to really believe in myself that this is what I wanted to do.
“I had good people around me who gave me the platform to learn and to make mistakes and today to be at Palace with belief and confidence in my ability to be a good manager.”
Last week a report from The Black Footballers Partnership, an organisation formed earlier this year, found that 14% of those with top coaching qualifications – a Uefa pro licence – are black, and only 1.6% of executive, leadership and ownership positions in football are held by black people.
The Football Association’s diversity code was launched in 2020 and aims to tackle racial inequality in the English game.
All the clubs in the Premier League and 30 others have signed up to the voluntary code, with each having to provide annual data on their workforce.
QPR director of football Les Ferdinand said last week that it has “made no difference whatsoever” in helping black players get jobs in the game.
A spokesperson said the FA is “deeply committed to ensuring the diversity of those coaching and leading within English football is truly reflective of our modern society”.
The FA added: “Signatory clubs collectively exceeded diversity targets in hiring senior leadership and men’s club senior coaches, while making progress against targets in other areas.
“Within the FA specifically, our teams – including the FA board – are increasingly diverse, with 8% of our leadership team, 12% of all employees, 20% of our England men’s coaching staff, and 4% of our England women’s coaching staff coming from Black, Asian, Mixed or Other Ethnic backgrounds. We have been transparent with our data reporting and have set targets to increase representation out to 2024.”