LONDON - Owners of Premier League clubs must ensure black managers are given a chance to succeed, and one solution could be to introduce American Football's "Rooney Rule", Fifa vice-president Jeffrey Webb said yesterday.
A law whereby at least one black or ethnic minority candidate must be interviewed for every head coaching job has been in force in the NFL since 2003 after it was pushed forward by Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney.
Carlisle United's Keith Curle and Huddersfield Town's Chris Powell are the only two black managers throughout the 92 professional clubs in the Premier and Football Leagues.
Huddersfield are in the Championship (second tier) and Carlisle in League Two (fourth tier).
Webb, president of the Concacaf confederation, which represents North and Central America and the Caribbean, told delegates at the Leaders in Sport Convention at Stamford Bridge that it is the responsibility of Premier League owners - not Fifa - to employ black managers.
"The Rooney Rule has been great," said Webb, the head of Fifa's Anti-Discrimination Task Force.
"How many American owners do we have in English Premier League clubs? There's a number of them (American owners) ... Of course, in the US in the NFL you live by different standards. Why? If it's good there why would it not be good here? I don't think Fifa can regulate that."
Former Queens Park Rangers striker Les Ferdinand was appointed as the club's head of football operations on Tuesday, but Webb would like to see more black coaches given a chance, highlighting the example of Eddie Newton, who was assistant manager to Roberto di Matteo when Chelsea won the Champions League in 2012.
Hire more black coaches, Premier League urged
LONDON - Owners of Premier League clubs must ensure black managers are given a chance to succeed, and one solution could be to introduce American Football's "Rooney Rule", Fifa vice-president Jeffrey Webb said yesterday.
A law whereby at least one black or ethnic minority candidate must be interviewed for every head coaching job has been in force in the NFL since 2003 after it was pushed forward by Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney.
Carlisle United's Keith Curle and Huddersfield Town's Chris Powell are the only two black managers throughout the 92 professional clubs in the Premier and Football Leagues.
Huddersfield are in the Championship (second tier) and Carlisle in League Two (fourth tier).
Webb, president of the Concacaf confederation, which represents North and Central America and the Caribbean, told delegates at the Leaders in Sport Convention at Stamford Bridge that it is the responsibility of Premier League owners - not Fifa - to employ black managers.
"The Rooney Rule has been great," said Webb, the head of Fifa's Anti-Discrimination Task Force.
"How many American owners do we have in English Premier League clubs? There's a number of them (American owners) ... Of course, in the US in the NFL you live by different standards. Why? If it's good there why would it not be good here? I don't think Fifa can regulate that."
Former Queens Park Rangers striker Les Ferdinand was appointed as the club's head of football operations on Tuesday, but Webb would like to see more black coaches given a chance, highlighting the example of Eddie Newton, who was assistant manager to Roberto di Matteo when Chelsea won the Champions League in 2012.
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