More from the result – Nuno: Being the only black coach in the Premier League is a ‘privilege’, not a ‘burden’

Available for over a year

In the 33 years since the Premier League was founded, only 11 black managers have been appointed as permanent or caretaker managers. Nuno Espirito Santo, West Ham United’s current manager, told the BBC that it is a “privilege” and that he is “honored” to be the only black manager currently in charge of a Premier League team, but he rejects the idea that his position can be a burden. Leon Mann MBE is a leading sports consultant, filmmaker and founder of The Football Blacklist. An organization that celebrates a wide range of influential black individuals in the industry across many categories including training and management. Lee tells James that more needs to be done when it comes to giving black and brown coaches a chance at first-team level, and points to the success of Bayern Munich’s Vincent Kompany and Strasbourg’s Liam Rosenior. Former DR Congo captain, Gabriel Zakuane, played in all four of England’s professional divisions and, at the end of his playing career, established a coaching plan to help develop more black managers and coaches. Speaking from Nigeria, he agreed with Nuno that the continent has many impressive coaches and that one day we could see an African in charge of a Premier League team. While Nuno represented Portugal at youth level, the former goalkeeper was born in Sao Tome and Principe, Africa’s second-smallest country located off the coast of Gabon in the Gulf of Guinea. If you have your own opinion on the stories we cover, we’d love to hear from you. Email morethanthescore@bbc.co.uk, or WhatsApp us on 0470 032 800 0044. You can find more information, as well as our privacy notice, on our website: www.bbcworldservice.com/morethanthescore

Program websiteShow less