Former Premiership footballer and England national player Sol Campbell says attitudes towards black footballers in Britain are so full of prejudice that he will have to move abroad to fulfill his ambition of becoming a coach or manager.
Campbell, who won 73 caps as a defender for England and two Premier League titles when he played for Arsenal, said he is likely to pursue his new career across Europe because of the 'archaic attitudes' in the domestic game.
The 39-year-old, who retired in May 2012 following a 19-year footballing career to take a three-year coaching course, said: 'There are no opportunities for me here, not until attitudes change anyway.
He told the Guardian: 'I want to start abroad.
'Everyone has to ask themselves why there are not more black managers in this country and why the likes of Brian Deane have to go abroad (to Sarpsborg 08 in Norway) to get a chance.
'I've spoken to other black players who want to coach and they feel the same, that attitudes here are archaic.
'I hope and pray the environment changes.'
Campbell had hoped his first steps into coaching could come within the England setup, but he says their approach soon 'went cold'.
He believes their attitude could be summed up by the fact that they went on to appoint the equally inexperienced, who is also a regular in the England defence in which Campbell so heavily featured, as assistant manager.
'I gave my heart and soul for the national team but the FA were not there for me when I had problems,' he said.
'It's obvious they want nice people who won't cause them any problems. I put out an olive branch and it got broken, but whatever, I'm ready to move on.'
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