Patrick Vieira 'disturbed' by the Premier League's lack of black managers | OneFootball

Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira has admitted he is “disturbed” by the lack of black managers in the Premier League and other top European leagues.

Vieira took over at Selhurst Park in the summer and became only the 10th man of BAME origin to manage a Premier League club in the competition’s history.

And following Nuno Espírito Santo’s departure from Tottenham, Vieira is the only BAME manager currently working in England’s top-flight.

“Of course we think about this and we discuss this all the time and it disturbs me a lot,” the Palace boss said.

“It’s a big concern for me and we [Black managers] spend a lot of time thinking about it because it’s something we don’t understand.

“We’re talking about experience, we’re talking about the love of the game, the work ethic, the game understanding, and overall the passion that we have for the game.

“And that is not different from any other people.”

A recent survey by talkSPORT revealed that one in four Premier League players are black and ethnic minority, with even more at grass roots level.

But that ratio is not even closely reflected among managers, and Vieira says he is hoping he can provide a platform for aspiring black coaches, having already welcomed former team-mates Sol Campbell and Claude Makélélé to the Palace training ground this season.

“I was really lucky during my coaching career that so many managers opened the doors of their football clubs for me to go and spend the week,” added the former Arsenal and Manchester City midfielder.

“So [now it’s] my turn. I’m lucky to be in a really good football club and if there are managers around who I can open the door to and give them the support that I had when I was doing my badges, I will do it.”