Last updated on .From the section Football

Being black not an issue - Hasselbaink

New Burton Albion boss Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink says he would not want to be considered for a management role just because of the Rooney Rule.

The ex-Chelsea striker's appointment at the League Two side means he is only the third black and ethnic minority (BME) boss in the Football League.

Under the Rooney Rule in American Football, teams must interview at least one BME candidate for a head coach job.

"I would want to be called because I am the right person," Hasselbaink said.

"I wouldn't want to be interviewed for a job just because of the Rooney Rule."

What is the Rooney Rule? Introduced into American football in 2002, the Rooney Rule mandates that teams interview at least one BME candidate when a head coach or general manager position becomes available.

A report by the Sports Person's Think Tank has revealed that there are only 19 BME coaches in the 552 'top' coaching positions at professional English clubs.

Hasselbaink, 42, joins Huddersfield Town's Chris Powell and Carlisle United's Keith Curle as the only BME managers currently working in the Football League.

"Honestly, I do not think about that. I do not think 'I am the third black manager'," he said.

"I applied for this job because I know am the right person for the job - white, black, whatever.

"And I have been given the job because I know that he [Burton chairman Ben Robinson] thinks that I am the right person for the job. That's the only thing that I want."

"I am proud to be black, but that does not change how I see things. I do not see myself as a role model for black people; I see myself as a role model for white, black, whoever. That is how I see it."