Sol Campbell leaves Southend United by mutual consent after relegation to League Two
- The former England and Arsenal defender left his post as manager by mutual consent
- Southend were relegated after the season was canceled
- Campbell was one of just six BAME managers in England
- Mental Health and Psychosocial considerations during the COVID-19 pandemic
Sol Campbell has left his role as Southend United manager after relegation.
Campbell has been at the helm of Southend as manager for only eight months in which he saw his side relegated from League Two after the league was canceled.
The club confirmed that the former Arsenal and England defender and his staff have left the club by ‘mutual consent’.
Campbell was one of the six BAME managers in English football’s top four leagues.
The remaining BAME managers in English football’s top four leagues are Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo, Doncaster manager Darren Moore, Northampton boss Keith Curle, Nottingham Forest manager Sabri Lamouchi and Oldham head coach Dino Maamria.
Campbell joined Southend United in October 2019 after previously guiding Macclesfield to safety from League Two last season.
In a statement, the club said:
‘We are grateful to Sol Campbell for his contribution whilst manager. Sol arrived at a time when the team were struggling and began to make a difference just as Covid-19 interrupted the season.
‘Sol’s use of the club’s young talent was a breath of fresh air who responded well to his stewardship. The club wishes to thank Sol and wish him, together with his management team, well for the future.’
This comes in the wake of discussions around the lack of black football managers in England.
England and Manchester City winger Raheem Sterling questioned why black players were having it hard to land management roles while their white counterparts were easily landing top jobs.
When asked about racial prejudice in football, he said:
I’ll give a perfect [example], there’s Steven Gerrard, your Frank Lampards, you have your Sol Campbells and you have your Ashley Coles. All had great careers, all played for England. At the same time, they’ve all respectfully done their coaching badges to coach at the highest level and the two that haven’t been given the right opportunities are the two black former players.
