News from Ibrahim Ba? At 52, two decades after the end of his player career, the former right winger, Italian champion with AC Milan, has just completed his trainer training in Italy by obtaining the Pro UEFA license. The one who went through Bordeaux and OM is obviously one of the six players dismissed by Aimé Jacquet of the French team before the 1998 World Cup won by the Blues (with Lionel Letizi Martin Djetou, Sabri Lamouchi, Pierre Laigle and Nicolas Anelka). Ba had however started the inauguration match of the Stade de France four months before against Spain (1-0 victory on a goal from Zinedine Zidane).
“Ibou” Ba is questioned in the last issue of France Football in an article named “On the benches, a small various garden”. The subject is thorny: the lack of representation of the French coaches of African ancestry, while the black players and of Maghreb origin largely compose hexagonal football. In addition, there are many of the diversity to pass the coach diplomas, but almost no coach from the amateur world has access to professional clubs (Pierre Sage is a recent exception).
Ibrahim Ba: ” There is a mentality in decision -makers“”
Ibrahim Ba has a clear opinion on the question: “In my opinion, it's cultural. There is a mentality among decision-makers, representations which lead to not daring to entrust the keys of the first team to a non-white. The rare exceptions will eventually be for big names in football like Zidane, as long as the chances will benefit certain profiles than others ”. The former Milanese has also chosen to spend his diplomas in Italy, where diversity does not exist (or is not accepted). And in England, Chris Hughton was the only black coach of the Premier League for years (there are no longer anymore).
Club leaders are generally not from diversity, mentalities slowly advance. But that is moving forward. After the world champions Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira (“big names” to resume the explanation of Ba), Liam Rosenior (Strasbourg) and Habib Beye (Rennes) were chosen as coach, when Kader Mangane (Strasbourg), Demba Ba (Dunkirk) and Mehdi Benatia (OM) are among the decision -makers in their respective clubs. And Philippe Diallo, at the FFF, reached the supreme post of president.
