Football clubs need to diversify, says Kick It Out chief

By Saj ChowdhuryBBC Sport

Last updated on .From the section Footballcomments627

Kick it Out free app launched to report racism at grounds

Clubs should consider employing a minority candidate when it comes to choosing between two with similar qualifications, the director of an anti-discrimination body has said.

Kick It Out'sexternal-link Roisin Wood told BBC Sport that football in Britain would benefit from "diversification".

"It's about positive action," she said.

"When it comes down to the final two equally qualified candidates, then it's about looking where your levels of under-representation are at the club."

Wood, who was appointed director in 2012, added: "I know positive discrimination is illegal but positive action is lawfulexternal-link and should be looked at when it comes to diversification in football.

"We are behind [when it come to diversity]. We lack representation in football at higher levels in these communities [ethnic minorities, women and those with disabilities]."

Wood added that the Football Association was one football organisation that was making an effort to change the perception of "old boys' club" at administration level, with Kelly Simmons (director of the National Game and women's football) and Heather Rabatts (director)external-link both handed senior positions in the past two years. However, the Kick It Out chief said the change in football was not happening "fast enough".

In April, Football League chairman Greg Clarke met the Professional Footballers' Association and agreed to discuss new measures aimed at increasing the number of ethnic minority managers at the league's 72 clubs.

They included having a 30-strong list of qualified black and other minority managers ready to take up a vacant position. Fifty percent of clubs in the League will have to vote in favour of the proposals for them to come into effect.

Norwich City boss Chris Hughton is currently the only black manager in the Premier League.

When asked about the number of black managers in British football, Wood added: "It's disproportionate when you take into account there are 30% of non-white players in the professional game.

"But we have to look at the diversification in the whole of football though. We also need to get women and those with disabilities in higher levels.

"Clubs shouldn't do it because it's morally right, but they should do it as a business case - people want to work in a diverse workplace."

As part of its campaign to combat abuse at football grounds, Kick It Out has launched an appexternal-link so fans can report incidents of discrimination.

"Some fans have no problem approaching stewards on the day, but for others this is a really easy way to report abuse without maybe drawing attention to yourself," said Wood.

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627 comments

  • Thus showing how the Kick it Out campaign itself is racist, incompetent and a joke.

  • would this apply to players too? no one seems to say anything about there being a higher percentage of black players in football compared to the number of black people in this country. Many academies and even England youth sides have more black than white players. I don't think this is a problem because they are there on merit, but according to Miss Wood it should be.

  • Anti-racism boss says people should be chosen due to the colour of their skin, no, that's not racist at all. Personally I'm a believer in hiring the best person possible, regardless of colour or gender, sadly that's either 'racist' and/or 'sexist' if the best person is a white male. No wonder the country is in such a shocking state.

  • I'm of an ethnic minority and I would hate to think I got a job simply because I'm British-Asian. If I am employed, I want to know that I am the best person for that role, period. A better idea would be to have no names or ethnic background questions being asked when applying, yes, people could discriminate at interview level, but it may be fairer. Racism exists, this would just make it worse.

  • Ironic that they're motto is "Let's kick racism out of football" when what they are proposing is racist towards white people.

  • 85% of the UK is British white, thus you would expect 85% of PL managers to be the same, thus 2-3 non British white managers. We have two Portugese, a Frenchman, three Italians, an Irishman, a Chilean, a Dutchman and a Dane. That s 50% non UK ethnicity.

    This article is nothing more than a whine, complaining and pleading for special treatment.

  • 'It's disproportionate when you take into account there are 30% of non-white players in the professional game.'


    which is also disproportionate when you take into account 13% of the population is non white. What about the percentage of ex players of all races who are managers, there are only 92 jobs.

    Roisin Wood is doing as much harm to the game as Suarez and Terry

  • I'd advise all the wound up people on this article contact Kick It Out and let your views be known - If enough peoplecontact them they will have to take notice.

    info@kickitout.org - email
    020 7253 0162 - telephone
    020 7253 5579 - fax

    Let them know that there racist comments have been percieved as highly offensive!

  • Well someone should tell Ms Wood that changing the word discrimination to the word action doesn't suddenly make it acceptable...

  • Surely if two candidates are exactly the same and you choose one specifically because they are a minority then you are discriminating against the majority? which is still discrimination?

  • If Hope Powell was a white male managing England she would have been sacked years ago. Positive action ? But, being a black woman she hangs onto the job. And 30% footballers being black doesn't make them good managers. How many opportunities has Paul Ince had ? This woman talks rot, but then she has an agenda.

  • I ask that we all join and tweet our complaints to kickitout/BBC. This disgusts me. The best person should be chosen for a job - picking a black person over an equally qualified white person just to increase 'diversity' in the game is RACIST. This organisation is a joke and quite frankly more people need to complain! Anti racism campaigns are about EQUALITY and this is clearly going against that!

  • Its quite sad that we live in a country where filling these ridiculous quotas take precedence over individual merit.

    The same thing happened last week when Jane Austin was announced to be the next face on the £10 note, simply because she is a woman.

  • Q. How can we combat racial descrimination in the United Kingdom?

    A. Same way as we combat sexual descrimination - more descrimination

  • It might help the Kick It Out campaign if FIFA was run by someone who wasn't racist.

  • And within the KIO statements lie the obvious cause of much bitterness and ill feeling where none may have existed before. Racism against Caucasians is never ever ever taken seriously. Why is this considered acceptable? It should be treated with the same contempt as racism against other ethnicities.

  • Kick It Out Website header has two black kids and one white. This is disproportionate against the population and does not include Asian minorities. You would also hope at least one would be homosexual otherwise its homophobic.

  • I'm a Newcastle fan and for a long time (years) I didn't notice the colour of Chris Hughton's skin - it was only when when he was recognised for his achievements as a black manager that it clicked.

    There are undoubtedly racist elements to our society, and it would be great to see more diverse managers, but I don't think drawing attention the colour of a person's skin helps break barriers down.

  • Roisin Wood is a racist with an agenda. Most care not one jot about the ethnicity of someone. People like Wood and the agenda she is helping to push are the true racists- they know by highlighting divide they can increase the divide- and get away stain-free, because our splintered society turns on each other before we ever question those in power. We are played by sensationalism.

  • I hope you will all join me in making a written complaint about these comments from Wood to the email address on the Kick It Out website info@kickitout.org

    The more complaints, the better

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