Chris Powell sacked by Southend to leave just five BAME managers in top four tiers of English football

Chris Powell watches Southend play 
Southend have sacked Chris Powell after a run of 11 winless games Credit: getty images

The dwindling band of black or ethnic-minority managers in English football was reduced even further on Monday when Southend sacked Chris Powell in what they said was an attempt to stave off League One relegation.

The Essex side have not won for 11 games and are only out of the relegation zone on goal difference.

A club statement read: “The results over a number of weeks, 11 games without a win, has impacted all concerned and immediate changes needed to be made.” Academy coach Ricky Duncan will take over on a caretaker basis.

Powell’s departure comes less than three weeks after West Bromwich Albion's controversial sacking of Darren Moore, even though they were sitting fourth in the Championship table  - a decision which infuriated former England midfielder Paul Ince.

Ince said at the time: “As a football union we have been fighting for BAME [black, Asian and minority ethnic] so what is the bloody point when Darren moore gets sacked for being fourth in the Championship, someone please tell me?”

There are just a handful of BAME managers in English football – Chris Hughton (Brighton), Nuno Espirito Santo (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Keith Curle (Northampton), Dino Maamria (Stevenage) and Sol Campbell (Macclesfield).

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