Skip to content

Hughton: English football needs to address 'shocking' lack of diversity

Action Images / Alan Walter Livepic

Chris Hughton, manager of Premier League newcomer Brighton & Hove Albion, called the lack of diversity in English football "shocking," with his club's promotion leaving Carlisle United's Keith Curle the sole black manager in the three other professional divisions.

Twenty-five percent of players in the top tier and the English Football League hail from a black, Asian, or minority ethnic (BAME) background. The "incredible imbalance" between that figure and the composition of technical areas and boardrooms dismays Hughton, he told the Guardian's Donald McRae.

"I was brought up in a football environment where we saw a lot of racism - whether it was abuse from other players or huge groups of supporters in away matches," the former full-back recalled.

He added: "Those were also the days where the perception of black players was that, 'They can play on the wing, and they're really quick, but they're not captaincy or organisation material.' Even now it's about getting away from that myth to the exact opposite."

Thankfully, modern examples of overt discrimination on the pitch are extremely rare. However, football still needs to tackle corporate racism, which is both less obvious and harder to eradicate.

Hughton suggests a "harder push" like the NFL's Rooney Rule, which requires minorities to be interviewed for top positions at the league's franchises. However, very little has been done by football's authorities over the past few decades. The Football League introduced a soft version of the Rooney Rule in 2015, requiring at least one BAME applicant to be interviewed for youth development roles that require a UEFA B coaching licence. That initiative has had no discernible effect on the senior game.

"Am I hopeful? The stats over the last 10 to 20 years don't suggest (much hope)," the ex-Newcastle United and Norwich City boss said of multiracial boardrooms.

Hughton appreciates that a lack of representation in senior positions isn't solely an issue for those with a BAME background - anyone who isn't a white male and wants to work for a Premier League or Football League outfit encounters significant obstacles.

"It's the same battle women have had," Hughton continued. "We don't see enough women in the boardroom. There was always a saying that a woman or a black person needed to work twice as hard to get a position someone else would reach far more comfortably."

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox