London: Sol Campbell was hired as manager of fourth tier Macclesfield on Tuesday as the former Arsenal star finally got his wish to increase the ranks of ethnic minority coaches.
Campbell has been vocal in his belief that not enough English clubs are willing to give managerial jobs to aspiring Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) bosses.
The 44-year-old had made no secret of his desire to become a manager and has complained on a number of occasions about the barriers he believes are placed in front of the BAME community.
Campbell’s desire to take charge of a team has seen him agree an 18-month contract with tiny Macclesfield, who are currently rooted to the bottom of League Two — the lowest of England’s four professional divisions.
Campbell starred as a defender for Tottenham before making a controversial move to their north London rivals Arsenal.
He retired from playing in 2012 after a career that brought him two Premier League titles with Arsenal, as well as three FA Cups and 73 England caps.
Campbell had a brief spell as assistant manager of the Trinidad and Tobago national team and recently spent 10 days working alongside England Under-21s manager Aidy Boothroyd as part of a Football Association initiative which offers BAME coaches experience in the national team set-up.
“Now, they’re welcoming everybody into the fold and there’s also some more players to come back who are retired or are retiring to do their courses and see what’s happening,” Campbell said.
“The more (BAME) guys who qualify for their coaching badges at B, A and Pro, the better it is. The main thing is that the pathways are there and that’s key and the FA are addressing that.” — AFP
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