Football
ESPN staff 9y

Rooney Rule can be adapted for English football, says FA advisor

Football Association (FA) equality advisor Brendon Batson has dismissed Jose Mourinho's claims that managers are awarded purely on merit and has urged Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore to propose an alternative system to the Rooney Rule in order to suppress racial discrimination in English football.

The Rooney Rule -- which stipulates that American NFL teams must interview at least one minority candidate for head coach and general manager roles -- has been the subject of some debate in recent weeks, with calls from those within the game -- including QPR and former England defender Rio Ferdinand -- for greater representation of black or ethnic minorities (BME) in the English game.

Speaking on Thursday, when a statue of Arthur Wharton, the world's first black professional footballer, was unveiled at St George's Park, Batson, who became a leading figure in the emergence of black players in the 1970s, said that there is still an "exclusion" inherent in English football.

"I say the numbers don't lie," Betson said, as reported by The Guardian. "A few years ago we had about six or seven [BME managers], including [Jean] Tigana, [Ruud] Gullit, Keith Alexander, Leroy Rosenior, people like that. We have now got two [Chris Powell at Huddersfield and Keith Curle at Carlisle], so we are going south.

"I have got no proof of racism whatsoever. But something is going on and I don't believe it's good enough to say: 'If you're good enough, you'll get there.'

"As black players, our talent could not be denied because it was out there, in your face. At the moment there is an exclusion; you can't even get an interview. You are not seeing the numbers."

Chelsea manager Mourinho opposed this viewpoint earlier this month when he claimed "there is no racism in football -- if you are good, you get the job," but Batson feels that a shakeup of the recruitment process, while perhaps not the Rooney Rule, is needed by higher-ranking members within the English game in order to improve representation on interview shortlists and achieve equality.

"There is another model out there and we should learn from that," the former West Bromwich Albion player added. "We shouldn't just dismiss [the Rooney Rule] and go: 'It doesn't suit us.'

"Our [model] would be different. But I'll tell you what would be great, if Scudamore and his 20 chairmen got up and said: 'We need to do something different.' What that is I'm not suggesting. But they need to do something different.

"They can't keep going the same way year in, year out, going: 'If you're good enough, you'll get there.' Because there are good people out there."

Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) chief executive Gordon Taylor has also spoke of a "hidden racism which holds clubs back" when making managerial appointments and the Football League has since responded by conducting an investigation into the underrepresentation of black, Asian and ethnic minorities in management and coaching.

Batson has called on the FA to lead from the front and believes that making a statement now could inspire the next generation of black players.

Referring to St George's Park, he said: "We've got the 24 national teams here, the home of England's football teams, there are numerous employment opportunities, and the FA need to grasp that opportunity and show the Premier League and the Football League that positive action can bring positive results.

"I think the FA can lead on this. The Premier League are the bullies in the playground, we know that. But the FA have got a role to play and I think can take some real positive action with their development teams.

"I think they need to be getting more people from BME to be more involved with their development teams, so they can see that visibility and that will send a really positive message out to the next generation of black players.

"Raheem Sterling is 19 but your career is over in the blink of an eye. You want to put it in his head: 'Maybe I have got a future [in the game after playing].' You need positive imagery and positive messages."

Meanwhile, Professor Jeremi Duru who works with Cyrus Mehri, a lawyer who assisted in pushing through the adoption of the Rooney rule in the American NFL, has also lobbied for the introduction of a new model in English football and believes that steps are being made in a positive direction.

"There needs to be a clear understanding that we are not talking about a hiring quota or a rule that bears on hiring," he told the PFA website.

"It's not about someone not having merit being hired. It is about opening the door so people can get in the room and argue their merit. That's all it is.

"You've got black managers arguing for it, you've got people at the PFA saying it's important. You've got Kick It Out, you've got MPs saying that this is something that's important.

"I think we're building towards possibly a breaking point on this in a way that we weren't two years ago."

^ Back to Top ^