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Football is rife with a shocking level of "institutional discrimination," according to a group founded by a number of former Premier League players. The Sports People's Think Tank (SPTT) will release a report in parliament on Monday exposing the prejudices faced by black, Asian and minority ethnic people looking to take up positions of authority in the game. Figures published by the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) earlier this month showed minority coaches currently fill just under four percent of backroom staff positions in the Football League. "Football has failed to complete the promise of true equality," Jason Roberts, a former Blackburn striker and a founding member of the group, told the Observer. "The numbers point to a problem that any right-minded individual would be shocked at. "Most disappointing is the game's overall refusal, up to this point, to engage in some dialogue which challenges the decision-makers and leadership of the game, rather than focusing on the victims of these practices -- prospective BME [minority] coaches and managers." The research has been funded by Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE) and may prompt renewed calls for "the Rooney Rule," a regulation used in the NFL making it compulsory for employers to interview minority candidates for vacancies. The SPTT is backed by PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor and also includes West Brom under-21 development coach Darren Moore and former Birmingham defender Michael Johnson.
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