BAME coaches still 'at a disadvantage' for top football jobs

Brighton boss Chris Hughton is one of just two managers in England's top four divisions with a black, Asian or minority ethnic background

Football coaches from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds are still "at a disadvantage" when it comes to getting top coaching or managerial jobs, a report has found.

The study was compiled by the Sports People's Think Tank with help from Loughborough University and anti-racism group the Fare Network.

It found only one in 25 managers, assistant managers or senior coaches was from the BAME community, and that there had been minimal progress over the past two years.

"It remains disappointing to note that since the first report in 2014 the figures have changed very little," said the report.

Although at least a quarter of all professional footballers in England are black, the report found that only 17 of the 92 top clubs had a BAME coach in a senior role.

Since the report was compiled, one of the three BAME managers in the top four divisions, QPR's Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, has been sacked, leaving only Chris Hughton at Brighton and Keith Curle at Carlisle.

The report also:

• Welcomed the FA's decision to commit £1.4m over five years to get more BAME coaches with bursaries for courses

• Criticised the FA's failure to provide data on the number and progress of BAME coaches in the system

• Criticised a general failure among the football authorities to work together on addressing this issue and a reluctance to set meaningful targets.

"The data continues to show that if you are from a BAME background and aspire to be a manager or coach, you are at a disadvantage," added the authors.

"Some people might still question why this issue is relevant when ethnic minorities, and the black community in particular, are so successful as players it is surely a matter of time and progression.

"Our findings simply do not back this up. If effective action is not taken we face the same situation in the decades to come."