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RARE: Black football team manger Chris Hughton

RACISM IN football is caused by the lack of black managers in the sport, according to a new study.

The research by Staffordshire University found that more 50 percent of respondents believe the small number of black people in senior positions in UK football is causing racial tension.

Published in the journal of Ethnic and Racial Studies the online poll was comprised of 1,000 football fans and also included current and former players.

The study’s researchers said: "The findings indicate 56 percent of respondents believe racism operates at the executive levels of football, i.e. the boardroom.”

They added: "While some accuse club owners of directors of deliberate discrimination, most suspect a form of unwitting or institutional racism in which assumptions about black people's capacities are not analysed and challenged and continue to circulate."

The study comes after the 2010 findings that only two out of 92 league football clubs had black managers.