FA to hold Thomas Tuchel talks over hiring minority coach for England staff | Football | Sport
The FA will reportedly hold talks with Thomas Tuchel over whether his England support team will include any coaches from minority backgrounds. Tuchel will replace Lee Carsley in the dugout next year, having signed a deal until the end of the next World Cup.
The former Chelsea and Bayern Munich boss is yet to finalise his coaching team, with the FA expecting it to be confirmed in the next few weeks. Anthony Barry will serve as England’s assistant manager, having worked with Tuchel at each of his last two clubs.
The rest of the new-look coaching team is still being put together and the FA are planning to hold talks with Tuchel over the inclusion of a minority coach, according to The Telegraph.
A number of black or minority ethnic coaches have worked with England in recent years. Ashley Cole is currently working with the senior squad but will follow Carsley back to the under-21s when Tuchel arrives next year.
The likes of Chris Powell and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink held coaching roles with the Three Lions during Gareth Southgate’s time in charge, while Joleon Lescott is a more recent addition having been part of Carsley’s interim staff.
The FA are committed to offering opportunities to individuals from minority backgrounds with a view to increasing diversity throughout top-level football. In 2017, they introduced the Elite Coaching Placement Programme in collaboration with the PFA.
The programme is designed to increase opportunities for ethnic minorities and create an inclusive coaching environment across all England teams.
Failure to include an ethnic minority coach would raise questions over the FA’s commitment to the programme, especially when the governing body has faced criticism after appointing a foreign manager instead of an English candidate.
It remains to be seen if Tuchel will appoint any coaches from minority backgrounds to his support team before his arrival in January. Hilario, the former Chelsea goalkeeper who is on the coaching staff at Stamford Bridge, is thought to be a target.
Chelsea do not want Hilario to share his club duties with an international job, meaning they would not be in favour of a part-time deal. As a result, the FA would need to strike an agreement with the Blues to take Hilario on a full-time basis next year.
