Dwight Yorke: I can’t even get an interview with Ferguson’s recommendation
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ByEurosport
Published 09/06/2020 at 11:41 GMT
Dwight Yorke has said that despite recommendations from Sir Alex Ferguson he has struggled to break into management. The 48-year-old added that the Rooney Rule has not been implemented for years.
Yorke: I can’t even get an interview with Ferguson’s recommendation
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Yorke, 48, spoke specifically about an application he made to become manager of Aston Villa, telling Richard Keys and Andy Gray on beIN SPORTS that he struggled to get an interview despite holding the requisite coaching badges.
“It’s a fact that Sir Alex Ferguson, who’s been tremendous and like a father figure ... when I applied for the Villa job, I went into his office and told him exactly what I was trying to do,” Yorke said, as reported by the Independent.
“He gave me some experience, he told me what I needed to do and I picked his brain. At the same time, he picked the phone up and rang Villa for me to give his recommendation.
He’s always said to me, if I need anything, any recommendation to break into management, he would vouch for me – even to this day. With his help, I still can’t get an interview. I still can’t get an interview to this day.
“That is what we are facing today.”
The former Manchester United and Aston Villa forward added that while he was still hopeful of getting a managerial job, it remained a serious issue, particularly as white managers with little experience were afforded more opportunities.
“You have seen, on the other hand, white players given that platform with very little experience, straight into management,” Yorke continued.
There is a serious issue here. I’m going to fight this all the way. I’m still very hopeful.
'THE ROONEY RULE HASN’T BEEN IMPLEMENTED'
The EFL followed the NFL in introducing the Rooney Rule in 2019 to address the lack of BAME manager and coaches within the game. However, Yorke remains sceptical of its effectiveness.
“It is an absolute joke,” said Yorke, 48. “It’s not been implemented whatsoever. And if you go even deeper and you follow it in the NFL, there are new rules ... If you hire a black manager you go up in the league or something.
The players obviously have gone against that because it’s a token gesture. This Rooney Rule hasn’t been implemented for years. I know Sol Campbell, I spoke to Sol Campbell. He went to Grimsby, he was trying his nuts off just to try and get a job.
“He went to Macclesfield, someone who’s played the level he has, and now he’s at Southend. When you see other players – I can call names, but I won’t – other players have been fast forwarded and fast-tracked.
“The one response I get, I’ve applied for the Villa job twice now, I get one response from the CEO and his response to me was, ‘I need experience.’ Where am I going to go and get experience if I’m not being given a chance?”
Yorke’s comments mirror those by Raheem Sterling, called on English football to address a lack of representation for racial minorities in positions of power to advance the fight against racism.
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