Football Black List founders Leon Mann and Rodney Hinds discuss Raheem Sterling's Newnight appearance, black representation in the media and solutions for holding football authorities to account
Tuesday 9 June 2020 13:36, UK
The dynamic of black representation in football is “completely unacceptable” and the sport is valuing the black community as either footballers or potential criminals, according to one of the founders of the Football Black List.
On Monday, Manchester City and England forward Raheem Sterling called for English football to address the lack of black representation in positions of power during an appearance on the BBC programme Newsnight, in the wake of anti-racism protests across the world.
Leon Mann and fellow Football Black List founder Rodney Hinds spoke exclusively to Sky Sports News' Jaydee Dyer to reflect on Sterling's comments, black representation in the media and possible solutions to address the issue of black representation in positions of power.
Sterling spoke on a number of issues on Monday, including the disparity between the number of high-profile BAME players and the shortage of those who then go on to land significant managerial, coaching or administrative jobs, as well as voicing support for the anti-racism protests gripping the world in the wake of George Floyd's death.
On Sterling's appearance on Newsnight, Mann said: "He articulated himself in probably the best way I have ever seen any professional sporting athlete on this issue.
"Understandably, footballers tend to speak about their experiences and their emotions to situations that they've had to respond to.
"Raheem Sterling spoke about structural issues that he supported with facts and figures and he didn't in a way that didn't feel like he'd been sat down with a PR person. It felt, and I believe, that they came from a place of knowledge and understanding."
Hinds added: "You have to respect what he did on Newsnight. He is leading the way for others, whether they are in football or out of football.
"I have been a beneficiary of that, people want to express themselves and I think that is a movement that is going to continue to grow.
"These guys and girls have these social media platforms so they can talk to their audience.
"I'm not saying that all sports people need to be politicians, but because of sport's profile, it can be a wonderful example to other industries."
Reflecting on how football can address the issue of structural racism, Mann said: "I want to know what football's action plan is. I talk to CEOs and people at a very senior level in the game and I still don't know.
"I want to know who is accountable because when I go to work and I don't do my job properly, I get sacked. Who has ever been sacked for not doing their job properly around anti-racism? Lots of people have not been doing it very well for a good 20 years that I've been working in football.
"The third point: What is the budget? What is the number you are attaching to this work? How important is this work?
"And, what is the timeline for addressing what we all call structural racism? Without those four points being addressed, we are going to have lots of symbolic moments but we're not going to get to the point where we can talk about what we have achieved. That is what leaders in the game are judged on."
Asked what tangible changes need to be made, Hinds said: "From my view point it's a very simple thing: more conversations, more meetings. People need to be willing to talk about things they maybe didn't want to before.
"What would also be useful is for people to reach out to us. We always seem to be on the outside looking in, with our noses up against the glass.
"Difficult conversations can become much more comfortable over a period of time."
Mann said: "Football is engaging with the black community on two levels: We're going to save you from crime and we're going to come and make you athletes. That's just not enough.
"Football is going into black communities to stop crime and raise aspirations. That's very good work but we need to be a lot more sophisticated in terms of how we see and value black people.
"We are not just athletes or people who are potentially going to be criminals. Football has got us wrong because the leadership does not understand us.
"If I look across the 92 clubs, I see Ben Robinson sat by himself at Burton Albion as the only black British owner or chairman. That is not right.
"The reality is, if we go into a professional football club and see another black person they are likely to be a professional footballer, working in the canteen or cleaning.
"That dynamic is completely unacceptable and for anybody to feel comfortable with that and not want to take serious action that involves a plan, a timeline, accountability and a budget is quite frankly letting down the black community in a way that cannot continue."
Reflecting on the lack of black representation in the media, in particular among decision makers, Hinds, who is sports editor at The Voice, said: "Over the years it has been a lonely place but it's never deterred me.
"It clearly isn't good enough. If you go away from football, it's not much different."
Mann, who is also the founder of BCOMS (Black Collective of Media in Sport), added: "When we look behind the screens and at the people making decisions, we are not seeing any level of representation.
"We have been talking about this for 10 years under the banner of BCOMS. Others have been talking about this for way longer.
"My concern has been that because of COVID-19, this will slip down the agenda because people will talk about not having budgets and the decimation of their businesses.
"In fact, this represents an opportunity to rebuild your business in the correct way, that is effective for the audiences you want to serve."
