Sol Campbell

[PhilM]

Following on from his "I should have been England captain for 10 years" spiel, now he's decided that becoming a Tory is the best way to stand up for racial equality and mass them the "black vote".

 

Sol Campbell ready ‘to have a conversation’ with Conservative Party

• Ex-England defender believes he can secure ‘the black vote’

• Campbell: ‘I am for getting people from my background to vote’

• Campbell calls FA ‘institutionally racist’ after captaincy snub

 

Sol Campbell is considering joining the Conservative Party and believes he can have a major influence in securing “the black vote”. Photograph: Observer

 

The former England defender Sol Campbell is considering joining the Conservative Party and believes he can have a major influence in securing “the black vote”.

 

Campbell, who retired in 2011 having won 73 caps for his country, said last week that he was thinking about joining the Conservative Party to fight Labour’s proposed introduction of mansion tax should they win the General Election next year.

 

However, speaking at the launch of his new biography Cheltenham Literature Festival on Thursday, the former Tottenham and Arsenal defender admitted he is considering taking a more active role.

 

“[Let’s have] a conversation just to see where they want to go with things,” he said.

 

“I think something has got to be offered for me to really think about it.

 

“I have got so much to offer. I think it is very important for the black vote.

 

“If the ‘black vote’ votes it will clearly push someone over the line. I am for getting people from my background to vote.

 

“If I am a consultant for the government then you can do your stuff but not be left with nowhere to manoeuvre,” Campbell added.

 

“Politics is very hard work. You have to really commit to things. Some people get into it for the wrong reasons.”

 

Campbell claimed in March that he would have been England captain “for more than 10 years” if he was white. Now he is hopeful that the Football Association chairman Greg Dyke will use his Commission to help tackle the issue of racism in the game.

 

“Greg Dyke has come out and said there is a problem, officially,” Campbell said.

 

“Some people just couldn’t handle the things I was saying. Now Greg Dyke has come out and said there is a problem and there are other problems associated with the FA that come from race. Thank God someone’s actually said something.

 

“A lot of people didn’t believe me, but now they are starting to believe,” the former England defender added. “Talk is cheap, but hopefully things can start to move on and include inclusion.”

 

Now 40, Campbell officially retired in May 2012 a year after being released by Newcastle. Yet despite his absence from the game, he believes England should give him an opportunity.

 

“The career I have had should warrant me getting a job,” he said.

 

“I’ve done all the badges. I’m doing my coaching badges with the Welsh FA. I am on the last year of the pro licence.

 

“Whether I’m going to use it straight away I’m not too sure. Whether I can use it here I don’t know.”

 

I can't help wondering whether he's confusing a lack of validation for his own sense of entitlement for racial discrimination here. He, and several other vocal black footballers seem to be citing the lack of black managers in the game as a sign of racism within the English game, without ever citing experience and qualification for the job.

 

Is English football being pushed into "positive racism, where black and other minority coaches will end up in the job because there are "quotas to fill" at the expense of the best qualified individuals, or is there a genuine racial discrimination issue affecting employment within the game?

[Swan Red]

Following on from his "I should have been England captain for 10 years" spiel, now he's decided that becoming a Tory is the best way to stand up for racial equality and mass them the "black vote".

 

I can't help wondering whether he's confusing a lack of validation for his own sense of entitlement for racial discrimination here. He, and several other vocal black footballers seem to be citing the lack of black managers in the game as a sign of racism within the English game, without ever citing experience and qualification for the job.

 

Is English football being pushed into "positive racism, where black and other minority coaches will end up in the job because there are "quotas to fill" at the expense of the best qualified individuals, or is there a genuine racial discrimination issue affecting employment within the game?

 

I don't know what the bit in bold means and I suspect you mean positive discrimination rather than positive racism but if you don't I think you should.

[PhilM]

I don't know what the bit in bold means and I suspect you mean positive discrimination rather than positive racism but if you don't I think you should.

 

What, you mean I can't claim credit for inventing a great new oxymoron?

[The Hitman]

I think he's mad.

[Stevie H]

called the FA institutionally racist but wants to join the tory party? he's a t*t.

[Swan Red]

What, you mean I can't claim credit for inventing a great new oxymoron?

 

You can claim credit for anything you wish I guess but how much credit is there in a claim no one understands?

[PhilM]

You can claim credit for anything you wish I guess but how much credit is there in a claim no one understands?

 

What I meant was that he clearly feels entitled to a high ranking job in football, purely because he's done the courses and has the badges. He chose to attribute that not happening to racism rather than him appearing to be a deluded lunatic with an overinflated opinion of himself. He may be right, but he presents no evidence to support it at all.

[fred milne]

'Get rid of Gary Neville and get me in instead. I've done all the badges.'

 

'I'm doing my coaching badges with the Welsh FA. I am on the last year of the pro licence. Whether I'm going to use it straightaway I'm not too sure. Whether I can use it here I don't know.'

 

'But the career I have had should warrant me getting a job.'

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2786277/Sack-Gary-Neville-hire-Sol-Campbell-hits-ex-England-team-mate.html

[épieur]

...he was thinking about joining the Conservative Party to fight Labour’s proposed introduction of mansion tax

 

Feck me.

[Swan Red]

What I meant was that he clearly feels entitled to a high ranking job in football, purely because he's done the courses and has the badges. He chose to attribute that not happening to racism rather than him appearing to be a deluded lunatic with an overinflated opinion of himself. He may be right, but he presents no evidence to support it at all.

 

Okay but you are now responding to my point regarding positive racism rather than him feeling entitled. I also think you are making inferences about black managers in football that are possibly as wrong as claims regarding specific coaches not getting jobs because they are black.

 

In Campbell's case I think he's wrong and I don't know what jobs he's applied for, I don't know what he's passed and so can't really comment but there are certainly fewer black coaches than I would expect there to be given the number of black players in the game over the last 30 years.

[Rimbeux]

Thing is, the ''I've played at the highest level, I should get the job" attitude isn't particular to Campbell, it's quite widespread among former players of at least his generation, you used to hear them pouring cold water on even the idea of having to do badges first, current FA man Gareth Southgate among them.

 

Quite a few actually get that opportunity on the back of their name and playing career. I think in general that football coach/manager recruitment is quite an odd closed thing because the process is often poaching or a chairman taking advice from mates and contacts on who's got character or something.

[muleskinner]

Thing is, the ''I've played at the highest level, I should get the job" attitude isn't particular to Campbell, it's quite widespread among former players of at least his generation, you used to hear them pouring cold water on even the idea of having to do badges first, current FA man Gareth Southgate among them.

 

Quite a few actually get that opportunity on the back of their name and playing career. I think in general that football coach/manager recruitment is quite an odd closed thing because the process is often poaching or a chairman taking advice from mates and contacts on who's got character or something.

 

Kenny, Souness and ferguson didn't have coaching badges.

[Cobs]

Kenny, Souness and ferguson didn't have coaching badges.

 

Hodgson has his

[Raj]

 

Is English football being pushed into "positive racism, where black and other minority coaches will end up in the job because there are "quotas to fill" at the expense of the best qualified individuals, or is there a genuine racial discrimination issue affecting employment within the game?

 

Good quality black coaches aren't even getting interviews. That's pretty s*** when you consider the merry-go-round of losers who consistently get jobs

[PhilM]

Okay but you are now responding to my point regarding positive racism rather than him feeling entitled. I also think you are making inferences about black managers in football that are possibly as wrong as claims regarding specific coaches not getting jobs because they are black.

 

In Campbell's case I think he's wrong and I don't know what jobs he's applied for, I don't know what he's passed and so can't really comment but there are certainly fewer black coaches than I would expect there to be given the number of black players in the game over the last 30 years.

 

Sorry chief, you've lost me there. I'm not trying to infer anything, just starting a conversation topic.

 

Good quality black coaches aren't even getting interviews. That's pretty s*** when you consider the merry-go-round of losers who consistently get jobs

 

Good quality white coaches are in the same boat though. It's all about who you know and how good your agent is.

[Swan Red]

Sorry chief, you've lost me there. I'm not trying to infer anything, just starting a conversation topic.

 

What do you think the reasons are that black coaches haven't made the same breakthrough that black players have? What good quality white coaches aren't getting interviews?

 

You're right you did allow that it may just be that he's considered a deluded lunatic and that he may be right and I don't particularly think he makes a decent case but there are other black managers who would.

 

Again the point I was making earlier is why would you used positive racism rather than positive discrimination but that's not particularly important.

[dorgie]

Good quality black coaches aren't even getting interviews. That's pretty s*** when you consider the merry-go-round of losers who consistently get jobs

 

To be fair, that merry-go-round is probably overstated and tends only to be made up of managers who will almost guarantee survival in the division, no better, which is what many chairmen want when they are in panic mode. Most managers who fail after 2 or 3 attempts won't get further employment as a manager.

 

It's implausible, in my opinion, to think that all chairmen use skin colour as a factor in employing managers. I see no reason why they wouldn't employ a black manager if the chairman/board deem them good enough ?

[PhilM]

What do you think the reasons are that black coaches haven't made the same breakthrough that black players have? What good quality white coaches aren't getting interviews?

 

You're right you did allow that it may just be that he's considered a deluded lunatic and that he may be right and I don't particularly think he makes a decent case but there are other black managers who would.

 

Again the point I was making earlier is why would you used positive racism rather than positive discrimination but that's not particularly important.

 

Ah ok, well the last point was just wrong use of words by me. I did actually mean to use positive discrimination.

 

I don't know what the reason is for the low number of black and minority coaches in the game. According to this article here http://m.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/26946476.app, approximately 14% of FA licensed coaches are BAME , and that same figure carries over to the UEFA A license, so proportional representation would suggest that there should be a BAME manager at the clubs. Perhaps it is discrimination. Perhaps there's no outstanding candidates yet. Perhaps it's just that manager jobs in football are so short term that people at the top level are wary of promoting anyone who is inexperienced. Ade Akinbiyi in the article I've linked to hints at a sense of entitlement at the end of it.

 

I just think that claiming that there's an element of racism to it without quantifying it in any way is a very damaging thing for a professional to say.

[Raj]

Good quality white coaches are in the same boat though. It's all about who you know and how good your agent is.

 

Eddie Newton coach at CL winning Chelsea cannot get an interview for a job with any club in England

Sure there's nothing in it though

 

It's implausible, in my opinion, to think that all chairmen use skin colour as a factor in employing managers. I see no reason why they wouldn't employ a black manager if the chairman/board deem them good enough ?

 

I'll lay money that is a factor. Casual racism exists in every walk of life.

Its naive to think differently

[PhilM]

Eddie Newton coach at CL winning Chelsea cannot get an interview for a job with any club in England

Sure there's nothing in it though

 

You might be right. Maybe he just got the job at Chelsea on the strength of him being the manager at the time's mate and he's not actually that good a coach?

[cymrococh]

If racism isn't an element, then there won't be any harm in introducing a 'Rooney rule' type thing.

 

It can't do any harm.

[Raj]

You might be right. Maybe he just got the job at Chelsea on the strength of him being the manager at the time's mate and he's not actually that good a coach?

 

Yeah. Can imagine that's why he still works at Chelsea, even though his mate was sacked over 2 years ago

[Raj]

Appears that Sol isn't the only one who thinks there's an issue here

 

 

From The Guardian

[Rimbeux]

To be fair, that merry-go-round is probably overstated and tends only to be made up of managers who will almost guarantee survival in the division, no better, which is what many chairmen want when they are in panic mode. Most managers who fail after 2 or 3 attempts won't get further employment as a manager.

 

It's implausible, in my opinion, to think that all chairmen use skin colour as a factor in employing managers. I see no reason why they wouldn't employ a black manager if the chairman/board deem them good enough ?

 

 

Eddie Newton coach at CL winning Chelsea cannot get an interview for a job with any club in England

Sure there's nothing in it though

 

 

 

I'll lay money that is a factor. Casual racism exists in every walk of life.

Its naive to think differently

 

It just has to be. You can look at the over representation of Scots in football management maybe as an example of it going the other way, that there is a perception of what a football boss looks and sounds like. Football is pretty conservative, and even promoting the idea of a real interview process, let alone a Rooney rule is going to be interesting.

[Cobs]

If racism isn't an element, then there won't be any harm in introducing a 'Rooney rule' type thing.

 

It can't do any harm.

 

agree with that

 

don't think there's much racism going on with the selection of managers in England though. Chairman will want to employ the man who he thinks will get his team promoted/win stuff. Same with the players they buy.

 

If the Rooney rule gives the opportunity for under-represented people to make their case for the job then that can only be a good thing.