Les Ferdinand criticises FA initiatives as report shows ‘glass ceiling’ for Black coaches | Football News
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QPR director of football Les Ferdinand says there is still a glass ceiling for Black coaches and has questioned the Football Association’s appetite for meaningful change in the game.
Ferdinand spoke to The Times after the publication of the Szymanski Report, commissioned by the Black Footballers Partnership (BFP) which the former England striker is a part of.
The report found that although 43 per cent of Premier League players are Black, they represent just 14 per cent of all known UEFA Pro Licence holders who have graduated under the FA.
Szymanski’s report also shows « 4.4 per cent of managerial positions usually taken by former players are occupied by Black employees ». Just 1.6 per cent of executive, leadership and ownership positions are held by Black people.
« We need a voice for ourselves because we’re just not being heard, » Ferdinand said after the publication of the report.
« If I’m not as successful at QPR as I want to be, for whatever circumstances, I’ll never get another opportunity to do this job. Yet I see directors of football that have left one club, go to another, left one club, go to another and continue their careers.
« The FA keeps putting initiatives in but it’s all talking. I’ve been having this conversation about a glass ceiling for Black coaches with the FA for 30 years and nothing’s changed. »
Sky Sports News has contacted the Football Association for comment.
Ramsey believes there is a systemic issue in the game
Ferdinand is one of the founding members of the BFP, alongside QPR technical director Chris Ramsey, England U21 coach Michael Johnson and former top-flight women’s player Eartha Pond.
QPR’s Ramsey has campaigned around this issue for a number of years and feels Black coaches being overlooked has « gone on too long and points to a systemic problem in the game ».
Ferdinand added: « We are losing generations and generations of talented young Black footballers who come out of the game who have got something to offer. It’s almost like we’re allowed to love the game as players but that’s about it. We can be entertainers but we’re not allowed to be leaders.
Ferdinand has questioned why ex-players like Paul Ince are struggling to get back into coaching
« I see the likes of (Frank) Lampard, (Steven) Gerrard and (Wayne) Rooney coming to the end of their careers, all great players in their time, Tony Adams and Steve Bruce, and everyone talks about what great managers they’ll make because of the stellar playing careers they’ve had.
« I see Ian Wright, Rio Ferdinand and Paul Ince coming to the end of their careers and they’re never mentioned in the media in the same light. They’ve had stellar careers. It’s partly the owners but the owners listen to what the media say. They should be above that, but are they? »
