Former Chelsea and AS Monaco FC technical director, Mike Emenalo has said that a lot of question marks remain about the lack of Black directors and managers in the top echelons of the Premier League and other levels of the game.
The former Nigeria international gave a lengthy interview to The Guardian about his Chelsea experience and current issues.
“One of the reasons I stayed discreet during my time at Chelsea was because I was in a unique situation,” said Michael Emenalo
“I had to choose whether I would let my activism be a distraction, or allow my presence to be an inspiration. Some people were waiting for me to become an activist, so that was very difficult for me.”
In the twenty-eight years since the Premier League was launched following the rebranding of the old English 1st Division, Emenalo has been one of only two Black directors (along with Les Ferdinand, briefly in charge at Queen’s Park Rangers in 2015 before their relegation three months later).
Emenalo’s long-term sustainability strategy at Chelsea led to the club recruiting some of their best young talent and contributed to a good period of success in the Premier League as well as in Europe, culminating in winning the UEFA Champions League in 2012 and three Premier League titles with three different managers, between 2009 and 2017.
“When I sit behind the bench at a game, I want to be close to my work. But it’s also so that people of my colour could say: ‘I can do that.’ People in the parking lot would say: ‘Oh my God, you don’t know what you mean to us.’ Then I feel even worse because I want to say more.”
Emenalo also addressed racial stereotyping.
“Absolutely. It eats at you. When I was appointed [as technical director] some journalists didn’t think I spoke English. They said I had never played the game [Emenalo won 14 caps for Nigeria and marked Diego Maradona and Roberto Baggio in the 1994 World Cup]. Some people said: ‘Why did this Russian owner, who knows thousands and thousands of people, confide in him? He’s African so he must have killed somebody for the owner.’ No-one stopped to think it could possibly be because of my intellect or experience.”
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