RICKY HILL packed his bags and prepared to uproot his life again. Next stop: Chicago. The former England international football player is accustomed to making sacrifices and travelling far to build his coaching career, an effort he says has been stymied because he is black.

“It is something that I hate to do because home is where the heart is,” Hill said of leaving behind his wife of 38 years and his 99-year-old mother to chase a rare management opportunity.

Racism has long permeated the world’s most popular sport, with players subjected to racist chants and taunts online. While football governing bodies such as Fifa and Uefa have taken steps to combat the abuse of players, the lack of diversity in the upper ranks at major clubs remains an unsolved problem.