Football
Ben Gladwell, Italy correspondent 9y

Sol Campbell: It's very difficult for a black person to get a coaching job

Sol Campbell says racism continues to be a problem in Great Britain and that is one of the reasons he has yet to move into coaching.

A recent report on ethnic minorities and coaching in elite level football in England revealed that only 19 out of 552 senior coaching positions in the country's 92 league clubs are held by black and ethnic minority (BME) coaches.

Former Arsenal and England defender Campbell is not one of them, even though he still harbours hopes of launching his coaching career without having to move abroad.

"Enormous progress has been made over the past 30 years," he told Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport. "Great Britain is making a lot of effort, but the problem remains. How many black coaches are there? It's very difficult for a black-skinned person to get a job.

"Racism is a global scourge and I'd like to think that, one day, it will be defeated, but that day seems a long way off right now."

Campbell believes the colour of his skin puts him at a disadvantage over candidates he feels are less qualified than he is.

"I've worn this [England] shirt 73 times," he said. "I played in World Cups and European Championships, yet I've seen people pass in front of me who don't have as many titles as I've got.

"I would like to have the chance to coach a team. In Holland and Belgium, where there is a much more open mentality, I'm sure I could have that opportunity."

That is not likely to happen, though, as the 40-year-old added: "I couldn't live anywhere else but in London.

"This city is extraordinary, multi-ethnical and has an open mentality. There are opportunities offered to everybody here."

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