Progress in the fight against racism will only come in football when more Black players become managers, according to Manchester City and England forward Raheem Sterling.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been taking part in anti-racism marches and protests throughout the length and breadth of the UK, following the murder of American George Floyd, in Minneapolis, in the USA.

“The protests are a great starting point to making people’s voices heard”, he said.

“But just protesting alone is not going to make a change in this country”.

He went on to say: “The change is being able to speak to people in Parliament, people at the hierarchy at my football club, clubs across the country, people at the national team, to implement change and give equal chances to not just Black coaches, but coaches from across Britain’s wide multi ethnic communities”.

In 2018, the Football Association announced in an equality action plan that 5% of its leadership roles and 14% of England coaching staff were filled by people from a BAME background.

In the same plan, the FA set targets of 11% and 20% respectively.

“When there’s someone from a Black background I can go to in the FA with a problem”, Raheem went on to say, “I might have within the club, that will be when I know change is happening and not just in my field, also in Parliament”.

England manager Gareth Southgate, who has always encouraged his players to speak out and say what’s on their mind, said that he admired the way in which many of his national team have campaigned since the George Floyd murder in the United States.

He said: “The last few days have seen Jadon Sancho, Raheem Sterling and Tyrone Mings talking so eloquently about the situation across the world and the Black Lives Matter movement”.

On the stance taken by Sterling, he added: “Football is no different to any other big business and it too must change”.

In today’s multi-culturally diverse football in today’s multi-culturally diverse Britain; how multi-culturally diverse is today’s boardrooms who are appointing the managers?