Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has hit back at Suella Braverman after she attacked the FA’s diversity target, with the former striker who was a member of Gareth Southgate’s coaching staff insisting it is necessary in today’s game.
Braverman branded the FA’s plans for 30 per cent of its England men’s coaches to come from ethnic minorities by 2028 as ‘racist’ and ‘utter woke nonsense’. Braverman, the former Conservative home secretary who joined Reform UK in January, wrote to FA chief executive Mark Bullingham this week demanding the abolition of the policy.
In a Zoom call with reporters on Wednesday afternoon, Hasselbaink revealed how when he was invited to potentially join Southgate’s staff, he sought to make sure the FA were not only interested in hiring him because of the colour of his skin.
‘I made sure when I was asked by Gareth Southgate, I just don’t want to be there because I’m black,’ Hasselbaink said. ‘I want to be there because you think that I can help you and I’m good enough to be there. Because I don’t want to be getting favours.
‘I want to be good. I want to be the right person. I’ve earned my right to be there. Being me, being black, whatsoever, that should not come in the discussion, really.
‘I’ve done all my badges. I’ve done all my education. I’ve coached in the right way. So, I wanted to know, first and foremost, am I good enough? Are you getting me because I’m good enough? And we had a good conversation about that.’
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink made sure he took a job with Gareth Southgate and England because of his coaching ability rather than colour of his skin
Suella Braverman called the FA’s diversity targets ‘racist’ and ‘utter woke nonsense’
The former Chelsea and Leeds forward believes in an ideal world, the FA’s policy would not be needed. However, Hasselbaink considers it necessary today, as he continued: ‘That’s why I took that role – because I felt that I was good enough. If the FA or whatever organisation are doing the interviews blindly, so not looking at colour – and this is over the whole industry, really – then I would say, “Go for it and give the best person the job”. But that is not the case.
‘It’s also there to help black ex-players to go and do their badges because there are jobs out there for us. At the moment, the majority – 95, 97 per cent of black players – they don’t want to go and do their badges because they say, “We will never get a job”.
‘That’s why that rule has been put in.’
Hasselbaink was speaking to us to promote the Football Safety App, a platform for reporting abuse to a 24-hour control room wherever and whenever it occurs in the game.
The FA have also responded to Braverman’s attack, saying in a statement: ‘We are proud that our strategy is supporting the growth of football among men, women, boys and girls from all communities.
‘Football has the unique ability to break down barriers and bring communities together. Through our EDI strategy, we aim to ensure the game reflects the full diversity of our nation.
‘This means opening up pathways and creating opportunities for people from all backgrounds – including those from historically underrepresented groups. While we will always take a meritocratic approach by appointing the best people for roles, we also recognise the importance of having a broader range of participants across the sport.’
Football Safety App lets users report abuse with a 24-hour control room in operation capturing incidents globally and providing participating clubs with behavioural insights to identify abuse hotspots, high-risk fixtures and environments where preventative action may be needed
