Wes Morgan: Former Leicester captain targets post-retirement board role to force change around racism and diversity | Football News

Wes Morgan insists that he has no desire to become a manager and is rather determined to move to sports governance to impose change around racism and diversity.

Morgan called off his playing career at the end of the season after nearly a decade at Leicester, during which he led the Foxes to the Premier League and FA Cup titles.

The former Nottingham Forest defender, who has made more than 750 appearances in his career, is now keen to get into football administration and has set his sights on a position in the boardroom.

“You can never say never but I have no aspirations to be a manager at the moment,” said Morgan Sky Sports News.

“In recent years, I have gained qualifications in sports business management and corporate governance.

“If there was one area I would like to be interested in, it would be as an executive, in the boardroom, the office side of the game. It’s something I think I would enjoy. made no decision, I ‘I keep all my options open.

“I already work on the board of the Professional Footballers Association and am involved in working groups with the Premier League and the FA, so this is the type of area I am focusing on.”

Morgan believes that more diversity is needed at the highest level of football to tackle issues such as racism and lack of equality.

“There are not a lot of blacks in these positions,” he added.

“It’s sad because you expect the same kind of diversity that you see on the pitch to be reflected in all clubs, and it isn’t.

“In light of what’s been going on the last few seasons, with George Floyd and a lot of social media talking about racism, this is something that is close to my heart, that I am trying to address.

“If I could get into these positions I would try to make positive changes in that direction. I think that’s when you will see real change, when someone who is like me gets there.

“Maybe in the past when decisions were made the wrong way I could highlight something and make decisions the right way.”

Morgan: ‘Pioneer’ Rashford deserves recognition

Morgan also expressed his admiration for Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford and his defiant stance against racism in football.

Rashford said he received “at least 70 racial slurs” online following Wednesday’s loss to Villarreal in the Europa League final, having also been targeted earlier in the season.

Morgan, who has suffered racist abuse himself during his career, has been supportive of Rashford and admires the 23-year-old’s refusal to accept the abuse.

“If you don’t speak up nothing will change and Marcus is a pioneer in that sense, he’s not afraid to say what needs to be said to bring about positive change,” Morgan said.

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“Thank him, he has to deal with a lot of negative comments and reactions, but he’s trying to make changes for the good and you have to congratulate him.”

When asked how he would approach the problem of online abuse, Morgan added, “The obvious thing is to go to the source. Where are these cases happening? Through social media.

“If something is done through social media, the people behind these racial slurs… if they are identified and action taken against it, things will definitely start to change.

He added: “There is a lot of work to be done. What is positive is that these things are now being highlighted. In the past it might have been talked about but nothing would be done.

“Now we’re trying to do something about these things and the next step is to force it to happen.

“Force action against these individuals who say racist slurs, hide behind screens and say whatever they want. They shouldn’t be able to get away with this.”

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