By far the majority of coaches in English national football teams are male and white. That should change quickly. The English association defines ambitious goals in a strategy paper.
The English Football Association FA wants to employ more coaches who are not white in the coming years. By 2028, at least 25 and if possible 30 percent of the coaches from the U17 to the men’s level should have a different ethnic background, such as being black or Asian.
The FA states this goal in a current strategy. It is currently 19 percent. Quotas will also apply to women’s teams from now on: Instead of the current 4 percent, by 2028, if possible, 15 percent of the coaching staff should have a skin color other than white. 60 percent should be women.
“Tackling discrimination is one of our core objectives,” said FA chief executive Mark Bullingham. “Therefore, we will continue to unite football to tackle this social problem.” The aim is to make positive and lasting changes. At the start of the season, the association introduced that professional clubs in the English leagues must report on the diversity of their workforce.
No black coach in the Premier League
The reform was also triggered by criticism from the Black Footballers Partnership. After the departure of national coach Gareth Southgate, she emphasized that no local talents with diverse backgrounds would be considered as replacements. Last season, 43 percent of the Premier League players were black. However, this did not translate into coaching positions. For example, there is currently no black head coach under contract in the Premier League.
“I don’t think the doors are open for us to do what we could do. To go into management. And by that I mean, on the one hand, the management of a team, but I also mean the higher level,” complained Crystal Palace’s then coach Patrick Vieira, who was born in Senegal, in an interview with the “BBC” in 2022.
Last October, the English Football Association announced that Thomas Tuchel would take over the national team on January 1, 2025, as the successor to Southgate and interim coach Lee Carsley. The German had an “impressive list of coaching successes” and was “identified as the preferred candidate” in the selection process, the FA said at the time.
In addition to the quotas for coaches, diversity should also be promoted among referees. The association also wants to employ more women and people with different backgrounds and skin colors in its own workforce. At the same time, the FA announced that the teams were now more diverse at player level than ever before.
rc with dpa
