Arsène Wenger argues against quotas to increase number of black managers and coaches

Arsène Wenger has warned against introducing quotas in English football to raise the number of black managers, arguing that positive discrimination can also be regarded as a type of racism.



The Professional Footballers’ Association took much of the English game by surprise on Wednesday by unveiling a six-point plan to tackle discrimination which included the implementation of a form of the ‘Rooney Rule’ in the American NFL.
The ‘Rooney Rule’ does not actually set any quota on the numbers of black managers within the NFL but does say that qualified black coaches should be on the interview list for vacancies.
Wenger, though, believes that football, and sport, can lead the way in anti-discrimination by definition of being a meritocracy.
“I feel that no matter what job you do in life, you should just do it because you deserve to do it and you have the quality to do it,” said the Arsenal manager.
“Just to put a quota out, for me, is exactly against what sport has to be. Sport is about competition and competence. That will have exactly the opposite effect to what it should have.”