John Barnes has criticized the prospects for black managers in football while asserting that black managers receive inferior treatment compared to other applicants.
After his playing career was done, the former Liverpool legend transitioned into management, spending time at Celtic, Tranmere Rovers, and Jamaica.
His tenure at Celtic was only eight months, and the 59-year-old feels that the short tenure was caused by a lack of confidence in black coaches on the sidelines.
Barnes told William Hill’s Up Front with Simon Jordan: ‘What would you say if I told you that I had a better win percentage than Steven Gerrard at Rangers? So, why wasn’t I given longer [at Celtic]?
‘Apparently, my 65 percent [win ratio at Celtic] is not great, but Steven Gerrard’s 64 [win ratio at Rangers] is great and that’s why he got the Aston Villa job. Regardless of experience and whether he should or shouldn’t have got the job, it’s amazing people say that’s not bad.’
The ex-England winger brought up the disparity during a podcast conversation, while also weighing in on a similar name in management circles, Frank Lampard.
‘I love Frank [Lampard] but do you really think with Frank Lampard’s record, that if he was black, he would have been given the same opportunities?’ Barnes asked.
Barnes said: ‘Black people have to have humility. I don’t think there could be a black Simon Jordan because you’re too opinionated – if you were black, you would get slaughtered more than you get slaughtered now. Society would not except a black Simon Jordan.’
Barnes also said that the character of white men is judged in a different way to that of black people, or women, and that applies across sport – but politics too, citing the recent differences between Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump in the Oval office.
‘You tell me that if Obama had the character of Trump he would have survived?’ Barnes told the podcast. ‘White men are given longer and therefore leeway to be arrogant and be whatever they want. They are go-getters and if you’re black or female, you can’t be that way.
‘In football terms, chairman don’t sack managers, fans sack managers. Why are fans quicker to lose faith in black managers than white managers? It’s because of the perception of a black person’s ability to lead.’
Last month, Jermaine Defoe said he had doubts about his managerial ambitions after becoming a coach at Tottenham, because of the lack of black peers.