Clarence Seedorf Says There's No Equal Opportunities For Black Managers

Clarence Seedorf has said there isn't 'equal opportunities' for black managers in football, citing the fact that Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry have had to go to the MLS.

There is a generation of former players coming through the ranks around Europe, with differing levels of success, but there is a severe lack of black players amongst that list.

Seedorf has had a few jobs himself, managing AC Milan just months after his retirement from playing in January 2014. He did a decent job during a tough period for the Rossoneri but was sacked at the end of the season.

He has since had spells with Shenzhen, Deportivo la Coruna and with the Cameroon national team. However he's been out of work since 2019 and has bemoaned the lack of opportunities for him and others.

"I played 12 years in Italy: after [coaching] Milan, despite having done a great job, I received no calls," he told Gazzetta dello Sport, "Holland is my country, yet again, zero calls.

"What are the selection criteria? Why do great champions have no chance in Europe where they wrote pages of football history?

"Why does Vieira have to go to New York and Henry to Canada? [Patrick Vieira managed New York City FC between 2016-18 while Thierry Henry is manager of MLS side Montreal].

Henry struggled at Monaco but has been linked with the Bournemouth job for his work at Montreal Impact. Image: PA Images

"For coaches there are no equal opportunities: if we look at the figures, there are no Black people in the positions of greatest power in football.

"It's something that concerns the whole of society. Everyone, especially those who can change things, must feel the responsibility to create a meritocratic world and keep all the doors open if they aspire to excellence.

"The best results can come from diversity."

Whilst Seedorf, Vieira and Henry have all had chances at clubs it hasn't always been the case, and their opportunities aren't always as high profile either.

The likes of Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard have often been used as examples of former players getting jobs with little or no experience.

Sol Campbell had to take his first job at bottom of League Two Macclesfield, a job that seemed impossible, but managed to keep them in the Football League.

Nuno Espirito Santo is the Premier League's only current black manager, despite the league introducing it's own version of NFL's 'Rooney Rule,' which requires at least one BAME person to be interviewed for every managerial vacancy, being in place since 2019.

The process does not mean there is any 'positive discrimination,' nor is it supposed to be for tokenism, but to encourage teams to have a wider pool of candidates to choose from, which can only be a good thing.

Topics: Patrick Vieira, Football, Clarence Seedorf, Ajax, AC Milan, Champions League, thierry henry, Real Madrid, Inter

Ryan Sidle

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