In recent weeks there have been high-profile discussions in English soccer about the need for a “Rooney Rule”. The “Rooney Rule” was created in 2003 by Art Rooney of the Pittsburgh Steelers to ensure that all NFL teams who have a head coaching vacancy interview a minority candidate. This was to redress the balance of a league where 72 of the players, but only 2 of 32 coaches were black. Since the introduction of the rule it has led to a significant increase in the number of black coaches in the NFL over the past 9 years as the number of minority coaches has risen from 2 in 2003 to 8 in the current season (7 coaches are African American and one is Latino). The success of the “Rooney Rule” was highlighted by Superbowl 41 where both teams were coached by African Americans.
The discussion in England was sparked by comments from Brendan Batson, one of the first black players in the English game, who currently works for the Professional Football Association. He argues that introducing a similar rule in English soccer would help increase the number of black managers in the game.
Today, only 2 of the 92 managers of professional English League clubs are black or mixed race and none of the 20 Premier League clubs currently has a black manager. In fact, in the 20-year history of the Premier League, there have only been 3 black managers and one mixed race manager in the top tier of English soccer (and none before the EPL’s formation in 1992). This stands in contrast to the English National team where the first black player made his debut in 1978. Since Sven Goran Erikson took charge in 2001 over 30% of England players have been black.
Of these four managers only 2 were from the British Isles. One, Paul Ince, was also the first black player to captain the English national side while Chris Houghton was born in England but represented the Republic of Ireland at international level. The other two, Ruud Gullit (who, in 1995, was the first black manager appointed) and Jean Tigana were both decorated international players. In fact Gullit had been voted European Footballer of the Year in 1988. Therefore, as Simon Kuper and Stefan Syzmanski suggest in Soccernomics, both Gullit and Tigana were regarded as much foreign managers as black managers, especially in the eyes of club owners who appointed them. Race therefore played a different role in their selection.
A major problem for domestic black managers in the Premier League is the underrepresentation of minority coaches further down the soccer hierarchy. If managers are unable to secure jobs in lower leagues (where the only two black managers currently are), then it will be very difficult for them to build their reputation and get appointed by a Premier League club. As a comparison, Ince had to begin his managerial career in the 4th tier of English football, whereas the 2 England captains before and after him all started their managerial careers at higher levels.
Another factor is the presence of non-English managers in the Premier League. At present only 5 of the 20 Premier League managers are English (although, like Houghton, current Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Mick McCarthy was born in England but represented the Republic of Ireland at international level). The number of non-English, British born managers vastly reduces the likelihood of black managers. This is particularly true for those from Scotland (7 of the 20 EPL managers are Scottish) as Scotland has a significantly lower percentage of black population than England (0.16% compared to 2.9%). Its football team has also only had 2 black international players since 1900, one of whom was born in England. Similarly, with the exception of France and the Netherlands, there are very few black European footballers. This is particularly the case in counties such as Spain and Italy from where Premier League teams have recruited numerous managers.
All of this is intensified by the fact that there is relegation from the Premier League. This means that struggling teams are much more likely to replace managers in the middle of a season than they are in the NFL. The lack of an open recruitment process can often mean a new manager may be the only person asked about the job. Or if interview are held they are often confined to two candidates. The limited movement of managers between soccer clubs also impedes this; even if a club has to interview a black candidate, clubs with black managers may not allow their managers to be considered for other jobs. This could make a “Rooney Rule” pointless as many minority candidates may feel there would be little incentive to attend an interview merely as window dressing.
Therefore, while a Rooney rule in the Premier League would be helpful, it would do little good if it was not applied to all tiers of soccer, and thus the Football League as well. This would allow more black managers to gain experience and have a greater chance of promotion, supporting their efforts to secure jobs in the Premier League. However, procedural rules will not be enough and the “Rooney Rule” will not be successful until black managers are allowed to fail at the same rate as white managers. This has already happened in the NFL; but in the EPL and British soccer, it still appears to be a long way off.
Established in 1995, the Georgetown Public Policy Review is the McCourt School of Public Policy’s nonpartisan, graduate student-run publication. Our mission is to provide an outlet for innovative new thinkers and established policymakers to offer perspectives on the politics and policies that shape our nation and our world.