Patrick Vieira calls for greater representation to eradicate racism

In the aftermath of the death of black man George Floyd in police custody in the United States, there have been protests around the world in support of the Black Lives Matter movement.

Premier League players have taken the knee before every match, with player names replaced by 'Black Lives Matter' on the back of shirts. Former Arsenal midfielder and current Lille manager Vieira, however, highlighted the struggles of black coaches and how far football is from fair representation.

"Very few, too few black coaches. Ditto in management positions, ditto in governing bodies, ditto in terms of governance," Vieira told L'Equipe. "The debates will also be productive because we will be invited to the table. As a reminder, Gareth Southgate, last week, described as this lack of representation as a 'major crime' as well as the unequal opportunity for access to these positions.

Vieira is pleased to see the conversation about change coming to the fore, but believes much more needs to be done.

"Talking is a start, but talking is no longer enough," he added. "Action must take precedence over words and to act, we would have to increase our presence. If I take the example of football, we must aim for a normalisation of what time and statistics have limited to the exceptional.

"To accept non-punishment is to accept our helplessness. To be content to be a spectator of the unpunished crime is to assume our complicity. To be silent is to acquiesce."