Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho branded 'out of touch' by FIFA vice-president over dismissal of Rooney Rule
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Jose Mourinho has been called “out of touch” by FIFA’s vice-president after the Chelsea manager denied the need for a NFL-style Rooney Rule in English football.
Only two out of 92 Football League clubs currently employ black managers – Chris Powell at Huddersfield and Keith Curle at Carlisle United – and PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor has recently claimed there is a “hidden racism” in the English game.
There have been calls for the introduction of a scheme similar to the Rooney Rule, which obliges NFL teams to interview minority candidates when recruiting for management and coaching positions.
Five questions for Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho during the international break
When asked last week whether enough was being done to bring black managers into the game and whether such a rule should be introduced, Jose Mourinho said: “There is no racism in football. If you are good, you are good. If you are good you get the job.”
But now FIFA vice-president Jeffrey Webb has criticised Mourinho for his words, saying it was “out of touch”.
Webb said: “That was unwise. It is out of touch. I don’t know how it could be ‘hidden’ in England.
“You have 92 clubs and two coaches of colour. It is not hidden. It is hidden from a discussion point of view. No one wants to deal with it.”
