I think John has a habit of making valid points on important issues quite thoughtlessly

There was never a risk of Klopp losing his job at Liverpool because he was doing really well, but a black manager likely wouldn't have received the opportunities afforded to Jurgen at Mainz. https://twitter.com/Watch_LFC/status/1327171773268422656

But I can assure John that there are plenty of young white aspiring football managers, or young aspiring football managers of any ethnic background, who also aren't able to find any opportunities in what is still a really closed, often nepotistic industry.

The boundaries and obstacles built upon lines of race are big and important and need addressing, but they are just one of the boundaries and obstacles facing those who want to enter a career in the professional game.

The irony is, while John Barnes or Andros Townsend or Troy Deeney or any number of other black men who might struggle to find a place as a football manager because of their ethnicity are able to find well-paid work within football media because of their privilege as ex-players.

An important issue, and one we must keep relevant. Kneeling on the pitch before a game is a nice gesture but it isn't going to lead to action. We mustn't allow the manner in which the points are sometimes raised (e.g @officialbarnesy) to dilute the point of the discussion.

Systemic institutional racism must be eliminated from football as in wider British society, its existence is both obvious and horrible; so too must we eliminate other facts in football and wider British society which lead to exclusivity. It really doesn't end with Black people.

For now, I think we can all respect John Barnes for using his priviledged platform to speak about such an important issue. An issue which still makes many people uncomfortable to discuss or sometimes to even accept as truth. We're with you John.