January 10 – The English Football Association has agreed to adopt the so-called Rooney Rule in future, interviewing at least one applicant from a black, Asian and minority ethnic background for future roles in the national team set-up.
The Rooney Rule, which has nothing to do with former England captain Wayne Rooney, was established in 2003 in the United States requiring NFL teams to interview minority candidates for high-level coaching positions. It was named after the Pittsburgh Steelers ’ legendary owner Dan Rooney, who died last year after successfully implementing the rule as a way of promoting diversity.
English football has only five non-white team managers across the 92-club professional pyramid and FA chief executive Martin Glenn confirmed the Rooney Rule will “absolutely” be implemented whenever the FA come to choose Gareth Southgate’s successor as manager of the England senior team.
Lord Ouseley, chairman of the equality and inclusion organisation Kick It Out hailed the move as “a watershed moment” and Glenn added: “The FA wants to become a more inclusive organisation where the workforce more represents the people who play football today.”
The move is part of the FA’s attempt to reform its governance following the infamous Eniola Aluko controversy after the former women’s England striker cited racial discrimination by then national team boss Mark Sampson who was subsequently sacked for “inappropriate and unacceptable” behaviour with female players in a previous job.
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