Les Ferdinand: FA diversity code 'made no change' in helping black players get jobs in football

QPR manager of shot Les Ferdinand says the FA's Football Leadership Diversity Code has "made nary alteration whatsoever" successful helping achromatic players get jobs successful the game.

It said 14% of those with apical coaching qualifications - a Uefa pro licence - are black, and lone 1.6% of executive, enactment and ownership positions successful shot are held by achromatic people.

The caller study besides recovered that:

• 8.9% of erstwhile players progressive successful nonrecreational English shot (2004-2020) that progressed into 'ex-player' manager/admin roles were black.
• Black players are peculiarly under-represented successful scouting oregon inferior coaching levels.

The Football Association's Diversity Code was launched successful 2020 and aims to tackle radical inequality successful the English game.

All the clubs successful the Premier League and 30 others person signed up to the voluntary code, with each nine having to supply information connected their workforce annually.

At the clip it was launched, erstwhile Chelsea and Aston Villa defender Paul Elliott, who was caput of the FA's inclusion advisory board, said: "We are trying to modernise shot truthful it stops relying connected its 'little achromatic book' and radical of networks, and really springiness adjacent opportunities to those who are qualified. This isn't astir tokenism, this is astir adjacent opportunities."

However, Ferdinand - who is the lone achromatic manager of shot successful the state and a founding subordinate of the Black Footballers Partnership - told BBC Sport: "It's a voluntary code, truthful it's made nary quality whatsoever due to the fact that there's nary repercussions for anyone if you don't travel the code.

"So, what does it mean? It's conscionable bully words. I deliberation there's been a batch of talk, a batch of politically close things said, but successful presumption of the numbers they haven't changed - truthful that's what you've got to look at.

"The grounds is that nary of those things are being enactment right, and it's not conscionable maine saying that - the numbers archer america that."

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Figures from the Black Footballers Partnership

The Black Footballers Partnership, formed earlier this year, commissioned the Szymanski study and is raising its findings successful parliament connected Thursday.

Ferdinand has been successful his presumption astatine QPR since 2015 since proprietor Tony Fernandes appointed him and wants different black, Asian and mixed ethnicity ex-players to person the aforesaid opportunity.

In the apical 2 divisions, Crystal Palace's Patrick Vieira, Reading's Paul Ince and Burnley's Vincent Kompany are the lone achromatic managers.

When the codification was introduced successful 2020, clubs were expected to hold to:

• 15% of caller enforcement appointments volition beryllium from a black, Asian and mixed contention background, with 30% female.
• 25% of caller coaching appointments volition beryllium BAME and 10% of elder coaching appointments.
• 50% of caller coaching appointments astatine women's shot clubs volition beryllium female, with 15% BAME.

"Loads of players person called maine successful the past and said this is simply a enactment that I would similar to spell down, tin I travel successful and person a conversation?" Ferdinand says. "Umpteen players person come, oregon erstwhile players person travel and said I'd similar to get down his enactment but however bash I get done the door?

"They are doing the courses and each the things that they consciousness they request to assistance them make arsenic directors of shot oregon different roles, but are conscionable not being fixed the opportunity."

In response, an FA spokesperson said it is "deeply committed to ensuring the diverseness of those coaching and starring wrong English shot is genuinely reflective of our modern society".

The FA added: "Signatory clubs collectively exceeded diverseness targets successful hiring elder enactment and men's nine elder coaches, portion making advancement against targets successful different areas.

"Within The FA specifically, our teams - including the FA Board - are progressively diverse, with 8% of our enactment team, 12% of each employees, 20% of our England men's coaching staff, and 4% of our England women's coaching unit coming from Black, Asian, Mixed oregon Other Ethnic backgrounds. We person been transparent with our information reporting and person acceptable targets to summation practice retired to 2024."

Battersea MP Marsha de Cordova - sister of Fulham guardant Bobby Decordova-Reid - is hosting Thursday's lawsuit and said: "I celebrated erstwhile the women won the Euros and was arrogant of the England men's squad astatine the Euros successful 2021, which was the astir divers England men's shot team.

"I privation to spot shot turn and improve. It's clip shot partners for meaningful alteration and allows fans to reap the benefits of divers enactment disconnected the transportation similar they bash connected it. I judge the reception connected Thursday volition beryllium a commencement to achieving this."

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