Former football player Jason Roberts said that there "are now fewer black managers in English football than there were a year ago and they are finding it harder than ever to get jobs in football," according to Mike Collett of REUTERS. He claimed 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 said that he agreed with Professional Footballers Association CEO Gordon Taylor that "more must be done to increase the number of black managers." Roberts said, "We have close to 30 percent BME (Black and Minority Ethnic) players yet we went into the season with no black managers. That is a shocking statistic and things are getting worse" (REUTERS, 9/24). The BBC reported like Taylor, Roberts "is a strong advocate of the Rooney Rule, which has had a positive effect on the number of black coaches involved in American football." Roberts: "You can see the impact it has had. It isn't a quota system, so it's not the case that because we have 30% black players we have to have 30% black managers." Chris Powell at Huddersfield and Carlisle's Keith Curle "are the only black managers employed within the 92 clubs of the Premier League and Football League" (BBC, 9/23).
CLARKE UNDER FIRE: In London, Oliver Kay wrote that Football League Chair Greg Clarke has "rejected calls for him to resign" for breaking a promise to promote managers and coaches from ethnic minorities. Taylor said Clarke promised to bring up the ‘Rooney rule’ at the league’s AGM and, for one reason or another, the issue wasn’t even raised.” Former Tottenham player Garth Crooks said, “If this is true, then Greg Clarke has done the game a terrible disservice and should consider his position.” Clarke said: “I’ve fought behind the scenes to try and find a way to improve the lot for black managers in our game” (LONDON TIMES, 9/25).
