Sol Campbell ‘happy in different space’ as he turns back on football management
By Jonathan Veal, PA, Lisbon
Sol Campbell has turned his back on football management and says he is no longer applying for jobs.
The former Arsenal and Tottenham defender has tried to forge a career in the dugout and had spells at crisis clubs Macclesfield and Southend between 2018 and 2020.
He has not been able to find a job since and has spoken out in the past about his frustration at the lack of opportunities.
And the 49-year-old has revealed he is no longer chasing managerial roles.
“For me, it is about getting opportunities to fail,” he told the PA news agency at Web Summit in Lisbon.
“Some of my peers have had jobs, and it’s not worked out and then they have had opportunities again straight away, they’ve always had a lifeline.
“That is a nice position to be in. I am not in that position, I would love to be, but those situations are not coming to me. I would love to be involved in football and have chances, but that is not happening.
“You have to look at football in a different way and that is what I am going to start doing, and hopefully it will work out, and I will be able to help players, just in a different way.
“I love coaching, so I am going to go back into football in a meaningful way. I have had to go away, studied at Harvard. I want to be in football in a meaningful way. It won’t be on the sideline.
“I am not applying any more for jobs.
“I’m happy to be in a different space now and one I want to be in.”
Burnley’s Vincent Kompany is the only black manager in the Premier League and Campbell believes the bosses at the top clubs in the country should be doing more to diversify their backroom staff.
“Football needs that diversity in terms of management, but for me, it seems to have gone backwards in some cases.
“We need to understand not everyone is going to make it to be an amazing manager, but you have to get the opportunity or a chance to prove yourself right or even show you can do the job.
“Sometimes you get to the stage where you can’t fail. Sometimes you have to fail to suceed, but if you don’t get that opportunity how can you succeed.
“There are a few managers who are slowly having diversity in the backroom staff, that can help.
“Some of the top managers know if they could diversify their coaching staff it would help. That is a start.
“They are the ones in a strong position, where they have won things and are at great clubs.
“I think that is how people should start thinking, that is an easy way to kind of get experience and get through the door. Some of the top, top managers have to look at their coaching staff and mix it up a little bit.”