Football news - Raheem Sterling calls for more black managers at top level

Sterling has backed anti-racism protests in Britain after the death of black man George Floyd in police custody in the United States.

"There's something like 500 players in the Premier League and a third of them are black and we have no representation in the hierarchy ... or in the coaching staff. There’s not a lot of faces that we can relate to and have conversations with," the 25-year-old told BBC's Newsnight show.

"I’ll give a perfect [example]. The coaching staff that you see around football clubs: there's Steven Gerrard, your Frank Lampards, your Sol Campbells and your Ashley Coles. All had great careers, all played for England.

"They've all respectfully done their coaching badges ... and the two that haven't been given the right opportunities are the two black former players."

Lampard became Chelsea manager last summer after a season with Derby County in the Championship, while Gerrard started his managerial career at Rangers. By contrast, Campbell got his first job as manager at League Two club Macclesfield Town and now manages Southend United in the division above. Cole returned to Chelsea as academy coach in 2019.

Change would only be felt when there was a more diverse mix in the hierarchy of English football, Sterling added.

"The change is being able to speak to people in Parliament ... clubs across the country, people at the national team of England, to implement change and give equal chances to not just black coaches but also different ethnicities," the England winger said.

Thousands of people have taken part in Black Lives Matter protests held in London and other British cities following Floyd's death on May 25.

It has sparked demonstrations around the world over police treatment of ethnic minorities. A white police officer detaining Floyd knelt on his neck for nearly nine minutes, causing his death.

Sterling has previously said that "the only disease right now is the racism that we are fighting".