PFA chief Gordon Taylor calls for introduction of 'Rooney Rule'

Gordon Taylor, the chief of the Professional Footballers' Association, has a slightly different stance on the "Rooney Rule" than Jose Mourinho.

Earlier on Friday, the Chelsea manager controversially claimed that "there is no racism in football" and, therefore, he doesn't see the point of an effort to give minority managerial candidates special treatment when it comes to employment opportunities.

Taylor, on the other hand, is calling for the introduction of the NFL's "Rooney Rule," which is aimed at ensuring black candidates are adequately represented in the pools of applicants for coaching positions, as he believes football clubs hold "a hidden racism" when assessing minorities.

In conversation with the BBC, Taylor said that hiring black players as coaches "should be based on merit" and that they had "merit as players and merit as coaches."

"I can give you a list of black players who've become coaches, who've got their A license, who've got their B license, who've gone all the way up the ranks, they've got the pro-license and aren't getting opportunities," Taylor said. "So I know for a fact they've got that merit but there is a hidden racism that seems to hold clubs back."

Championship side Huddersfield Town recently appointed Chris Powell as their new coach, making him one of only two black managers - Carlisle's Keith Curle being the other - among the 92 clubs in England's top four divisions. 

Anti-racism organization Kick It Out also called for the introduction of the "Rooney Rule" on Friday, issuing a statement in which it described the current practices as "flawed" as well as "unfair, exclusive, and discriminatory."