Nuno Espirito Santo: Being the only black coach in the Premier League is a ‘privilege’

Only 11 black managers were appointed as permanent or caretaker managers during the Premier League era.

One of them, Chris Hughton, believes the presence of senior figures such as Nuno and Port Vale boss Darren Moore, the only black manager among the Premier League’s 72 clubs, remains “very important”.

“Instead of getting better, it’s getting worse,” the former Newcastle, Norwich and Brighton coach told BBC Sport Africa at the Best in Africa (BoA) Awards, where Nuno was honored for his achievements.

“What I see is that the downside is improving. There are more black and ethnic coaches involved at under-21 level, at academy level, so I think there is definitely an improvement in that aspect.

“But I think we want to see more growth in the more visible areas.”

One of the people tasked with improving the situation is Diggy Davies, a manager at Brentford and chairman of the Football Association’s advisory board, who admits there is “a lot of work to do”.

“Nearly 50% of Premier League players are black, so it is synonymous with our people and our culture,” he said at the BoA ceremony.

“Although the numbers are great on the pitch, the minute you walk away the numbers are not good. Until very recently I was the only blackboard manager in the Premier League.”

“Football organizations need to focus very sharply on this issue.”

The FA, which previously launched the Football Leadership Diversity Code in 2020, told BBC Sport Africa that by introducing mandatory reporting, it was “working with the professional game to improve diverse representation”, while also putting in place a number of programs to diversify its “coaching and leadership workforce”.

After creating a “No Room for Racism” action plan in 2021, the Premier League said its two major inclusive training programs allow clubs to build “a pipeline of coaches to develop their expertise across the pathways and into senior roles”, with 91% of participants gaining full-time employment in the professional game.