There are now fewer black managers in English soccer than there were a year ago and they are finding it harder than ever to get jobs in football, according to former player Jason Roberts.
He claims there is “open resistance” from clubs to appoint black managers or those from ethnic minorities and it is time the government acted to stop the current system.
Roberts, who scored more than 150 goals in his 18-year playing career, told BBC Radio 5 Live he agreed with Gordon Taylor, the head of the Professional Footballers Association (PFA), that more must be done to increase the number of black managers.
“We have close to 30 per cent BME (Black and Minority Ethnic) players yet we went into the season with no black managers,” Roberts said. “That is a shocking statistic and things are getting worse.
“Last season we had three or four black managers in the game. We went into this season with none.
“It has been about 30 years since black players were involved in the game en masse and I think we are now at the point where we have to go to the government and go open and public on this.”
Since the start of the season, Chris Powell has become manager of Championship side Huddersfield Town while Keith Curle has been appointed boss of League Two side Carlisle United in rare appointments of black managers.
