Les Ferdinand has claimed that he was accused by certain QPR fans of ‘bringing the black mafia in’ at the Championship club after employing consecutive black managers.
Ferdinand left as QPR’s director of football last summer after eight years in the position, having previously played for the club in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The 57-year-old cited criticism he had received in the post, including allegations that he was favouring black coaches following the hiring of Chris Ramsey and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink.
Ramsey took over as manager in February 2015, succeeding Harry Redknapp.
He was fired as head coach later that year, but returned as technical director, with former Dutch international Hasselbaink joining from Burton Albion.
Ferdinand had asked for a Rooney Rule-style regulation to be implemented in English football that same year in an attempt to address the game’s ‘lack of diversity’.
On the latest Stick To Football Podcast, brought to you by Sky Bet, Ferdinand said that Ramsey and Hasselbaink’s appointments had led to suggestions that the club favoured black coaches.
He would eventually become one of nine managers hired by Ferdinand while he was QPR’s director of football.
Hasselbaink, who was fired after less than a year in command, now works with the England national team as part of an FA initiative to increase diversity.
Ferdinand said that his exit from QPR occurred when fans became ‘toxic’, with the club continuing to struggle after their relegation from the Premier League in 2015.
“It just became too toxic for me; the great thing was that the owners did not want me to leave,” Ferdinand explained.
‘With the fans, it became toxic, and I thought, why do I need to take this?
“I was getting blamed for a lot of things, and I
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