Clegg: Racial Ceiling Blocks Black Footballers

There is a racial "ceiling" in football which means black players can become stars on the pitch but few become managers, the Deputy Prime Minister has said.

Nick Clegg accused Fifa president Sepp Blatter of "trivialising" the issue of racism in football in a speech to mark 30 years since the Brixton riots.

There needs to be more "economic opportunity" for ethnic minorities, particularly in the private sector, he argued.

Firms owned by people of black African origin are four times more likely to be denied bank loans than companies owned by white people, Mr Clegg said.

"In football, fans adore their heroes for their talent and character, whether they are black or white, and when Sepp Blatter dares trivialise racism on the pitch, his comments are rightly met with public outcry," he said.

"But how many black managers are there in the Premier League? Zero.

"And in the top four divisions? There are just two, despite the fact a quarter of all players are black.

"In sport, like in so many other worlds, we have moved forward, but the ceilings still remain across so many professions," he added.

Mr Blatter provoked uproar by suggesting racist incidents on the pitch could be resolved with a handshake. He has since said the issue is closed as he has apologised.

Industry success stories include Chris Hughton, the manager of Birmingham Football Club, and Chris Powell, manager of Charlton Athletic.

Highlighting inequalities in banking and business, the Deputy Prime Minister said while ethnic minority men in the public sector earn slightly more than white counterparts, this is not true in the private sector where a black man earns 89p for every pound earned by a white male worker.

While individuals of black African origin are more likely to be denied a loan, companies owned by people from Bangladeshi, Pakistani and West Indian backgrounds have been found to be given higher interest rates, he continued.

Mr Clegg announced plans to look at problems facing ethnic minority entrepreneurs and say while 35% people from black African origin say they want to start their own businesses, just 6% succeed.

"We need to rebalance our economy along racial lines," he said.

Aides for Mr Clegg say he does not accuse banks of being racist.

The Deputy Prime Minister raised the themes when he delivered the Scarman lecture , named after Lord Scarman whose mission statement was to encourage people to have a stake in, and feel pride in, their own area.

He also admitted the Liberal Democrats are "too male and too pale" because the party has no ethnic minority members of the House of Commons.