Two black former Scottish top-flight footballers claim the color of their skin "is holding them back from making the transition to management," according to Chris McLaughlin of the BBC. Russell Latapy and Kevin Harper, who both played for Scottish Championship side Hibernian, said that the "lack of diversity in Scottish dugouts proves their point." Both said that they have "applied for numerous coaching jobs without success." Scotland's football governing bodies and the managers' union all said that "they work to promote diversity." Former England and Liverpool winger John Barnes "remains the only black man to have managed in Scotland, having been in charge of Celtic for a short spell in the late 1990s." Latapy said, "For whatever reason, young black managers are not being afforded the same opportunities as young white managers." Harper, who is currently doing his A License coaching training, said that "he feels the same way." Harper: "I've applied for at least 10 jobs in Scotland and I've had two responses." The latest Scottish government statistics show that around 4% of the population "is described as non-white." Of the 10,000 registered Scottish FA coaches, "just under 6% fall into that category" (BBC, 3/30).
