- Clarence Seedorf believes there are unequal opportunities for black managers
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Clarence Seedorf insists football has a problem when it comes to equal opportunities for black coaches and has called for more action to be taken.
“Unfortunately, there is an opportunity gap for black coaches. It’s still a problem,” Seedorf told Mail Sport. “I haven’t been working[asacoachsince2019]but I haven’t had many more offers. What’s that like for someone with my career?
‘I’m not saying that a good playing career necessarily takes you to good clubs, but the lack of opportunities is a problem. I’m not the only one. Look at players like Thierry Henry, Sol Campbell, Edgar Davids, Patrick Kluivert, etc.
“We are talking about legends who have a coaching licence and who want to coach. This is a sport for everyone and we want to see equality in football, just as we want to see equality in society,” added the 48-year-old.
The Dutchman is the only player to have won the Champions League with three different clubs and took over as AC Milan manager in 2014 after retiring but was sacked four months later by his former club. He has not had a coaching role since 2019, when he was in charge of Cameroon.
AC Milan icon Clarence Seedorf believes football struggles to offer equal coaching opportunities to black coaches
The Dutch legend had an illustrious career, playing for top-flight clubs such as Milan, Inter and Real Madrid and would later manage the Rossoneri.
A 2022 report by the Black Footballers Partnership (BFP) found that while 43 per cent of Premier League players are black, less than five per cent of professional football managers in the top four divisions are black.
‘Another study commissioned by the BFP earlier this year found that non-black players were 50 per cent more likely to become managers than black players over a 30-year period.
‘That report specifies that a black manager is 41 percent more likely to be fired than a white manager, when factors such as performance are equal.
“I wish journalists would do more research into why there is such a disparity between the number of black players and coaches,” Seedorf said. “Racism is not an opinion. We now have evidence of what it means and how it works.”
“Unfortunately, this is a battle that we all have to win. There is some progress in FIFA and UEFA regarding these issues. Equal opportunities are what is important,” he added.
Seedorf says players like Sol Campbell (left) and Patrick Kluivert (right) have had a lack of opportunities in management.
Former Arsenal teammates Patrick Vieira (left) and Thierry Henry (right) have also turned their attention to coaching.
Seedorf has urged that more be done to address the issue of unequal training opportunities for black managers.
Seedorf took other jobs at Shenzhen FC in China in 2016 and Deportivo La Coruña in Spain in 2018, but neither of his jobs lasted more than a year.
Since being sacked by Cameroon five years ago, he has worked primarily in media and will be part of Prime Video’s Champions League coverage this season.
“It’s a privilege to continue to be close to the pitch and to be able to follow both young and established talents. It’s a great feeling,” he said.
“But we need to raise awareness and put more pressure on the people making these decisions to make sure there is more equality in the game.”
Clarence Seedorf spoke to Mail Sport courtesy of bet365as part of its global partnership with the UEFA Champions League
The former AC Milan midfielder had not held a coaching position since 2019, but says it is a “privilege to continue being close to the pitch”