Vieira: ‘Doors are not open’ for Black managers

Crystal Palace boss Patrick Vieira has said “doors are not open” for Black managers in football.

A report by the Black Footballers Partnership found that 43% of Premier League and 34% of English Football League players are Black, but only 4.4% of managers are Black. The report also found that 14% of those with top coaching qualifications — a UEFA pro licence — are Black, and only 1.6% of executive, leadership and ownership positions in football are held by Black people.

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Vieira is the only Black manager in the Premier League, and he said there is a lack of opportunities made available to people of colour.

“We have to give opportunities to people of colour,” he told BBC Sport. “We are as good as anybody else. And we need to have no more or less opportunity than anybody else.

“When you are looking at the top five leagues in the world and you’re looking at the number of Black coaches you have in the first or second division, it is not enough.

“There is a lack of opportunity there. There is a lack of connection from Black players to connect ourselves a little bit more with people who are making the decisions.

“But overall I believe that the doors are not open for us to do what we can do and to go into management. When I talk about management I’m talking about the team, but I’m also talking about the higher level as well.

“We need to be given more opportunities to show that we are as good as anybody else.”

Vieira, in his second season as Palace manager, led the club to a 12th placed finish last season — an improvement on their two previous 14th-placed campaigns.

Palace sit 13th in the Premier League and host Southampton on Saturday.