Why are there hardly any Elite British Asian Footballers?

British Asian footballers remain a rare sight at the top of English football.

This is despite the significant South Asian population in the UK, which exceeds four million.

This stark underrepresentation is one of the sport’s most perplexing issues.

Out of approximately 3,700 professional male footballers in the UK, just 22 are of South Asian heritage. The women’s game faces similar issues.

As a result, the question of why so few British Asians reach elite levels in football continues to baffle the football community.

Michael Chopra is a trailblazer when it comes to British Asian professional footballers.

Hamza Choudhury and Sai Sachdev highlight the potential that exists, but the scarcity of British Asian professional footballers points to deeper systemic barriers that need to be addressed.

The Stereotypes surrounding British Asian Talent

There are myths and stereotypes about British Asian talent that continue to hinder the progress of players.

The most common one is that Brit-Asians prefer cricket over football.

But according to the Active Lives survey, more than twice as many British Asian adults played football than cricket.

So why does the myth continue?

Piara Powar, executive director of the Fare network, said:

“People take on board what they see on TV.

“The most powerful cricketing country is India because of the IPL, but when you look at international football, we are nowhere.

“People are reflecting what they see, then internalising it, and that becomes their perspective on the world.”

Another myth is that Asian families want their children to prioritise their education.

For Arun Kang, head of Sporting Equals, this may have been the case in the 1950s and 1960s when older generations came to the UK and tried to get established, but it is certainly not the case now.

He said: “They all want to be doctors, lawyers, accountants. Give me a break! That’s not what it is anymore.

“There are fourth-generation South Asians in this country and we can’t find one Premier League footballer. It’s embarrassing to be honest.”

Kick It Out chair Sanjay Bhandari revealed that many parents have had scouts tell them:

“‘Why should I waste time on your kid when you’re going to want them to be an accountant, a doctor or a lawyer?’ One of those was a top-six club.”

But the myth that angers Powar the most is that the South Asian diet does not produce professional footballers.

He added: “I think this is the most racist thing I’ve heard in a long time actually because it’s sort of hitting at the core of an identity.”

According to Dr Daniel Kilvington, this myth has led many figures in football to still believe that British Asian players are not physical enough for the professional game.

Dr Kilvington, who is an expert on British South Asian communities and English football, explained:

He said: “A lot of recruiters, talent ID personnel and coaches have said over the years, ‘British South Asians are very technical, very good, but not big enough to compete’.

“Unfortunately, I think that mindset is still ingrained in a lot of people.”

Riz Rehman, of the PFA, added:

“I will tell coaches about being patient with players. The game has changed and players are all sorts of sizes now.

“What we need is more visibility. When a coach looks at an Asian player, what’s he really seeing? He doesn’t know what he’s going to be like.”

Is Racism still a Problem?

The lack of elite British Asian footballers can be partly down to outdated views and racism.

The most high-profile incident came in 2020 when Greg Clarke resigned as FA chairman following his comments to MPs during a Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee.

They included: “If you go to the IT department at the FA, there’s a lot more South Asians than there are Afro-Caribbeans. They have different career interests.”

In January 2024, Crystal Palace pre-academy scout Michael Verguizas wrote on LinkedIn:

“Asian families put all their efforts into education plus they’re more aligned to the game of cricket.

“Don’t think it’s pushed in their families or in their culture… Boys following this sport are far and few in this industry.”

Bhandari described the comments as “lazy racist stereotyping” and added it was unusual to have “the confidence/ignorance to commit that thought to writing in a public platform”.

Verguizas later deleted the comment.

According to 2023 research by Kick It Out and the FA, “Asian participants in football are deemed to be most likely to experience discriminatory abuse based on ethnic origin”.

Punjabi heritage goalkeeper Rohan Luthra was racially abused by Cardiff teammate Jack Simpson on a pre-season tour in 2023.

Simpson publicly apologised in November after a six-match suspension, £8,000 fine and an education order was given to the player by an FA independent regulatory commission.

Simpson has since signed for Leyton Orient and chief executive Mark Devlin said the club spoke to the side’s official Punjabi supporters group, the Punjabi O’s, beforehand.

What is being Done?

It is clear that changes need to be made to increase the participation of British Asians in professional football.

One major factor is the importance of clubs being active in South Asian communities.

Dave Rainford, head of Education and Academy Player Care at the Premier League, believes finding the best South Asian heritage players will keep the Premier League the best in the world.

He said: “If we want our game to stay ahead and the Premier League to be the world’s best league and the EFL to be one of the best pyramids in world football we know we have to keep evolving our talent pool.”

The governing bodies’ programmes include:

• The Premier League launched its South Asian Action Plan (SAPP) in 2022 to address the under-representation of British South Asian players within the Academy system. It has an initial focus on the Under-9 to Under-11 age groups.
• The EFL does not have its own South Asian Action Plan but in 2022 launched its Equality, Diversity and Inclusion strategy called ‘Together’.
• The PFA also has its Asian Inclusion Mentoring Scheme (AIMS). The network is designed to help those at all levels of the professional game and is widely praised by many current players, ex-players, and other football stakeholders.

However, football’s key stakeholders need to do better as Arun Kang explained:

“They need to collaborate better. There are some really good initiatives that take place but some are just window dressing and don’t go deep enough into the problems.

“For example, a football festival focused towards South Asian or ethnically diverse communities.

“Well, what next? Are there any pathways for individuals to then join clubs?

“I feel it’s a little bit of a tick box. ‘Look, what we did for those communities’.

“They should appreciate what we’ve just done for you and that for me is a bit window dressing and I think we need to stop doing those types of initiatives.”

Dal Darroch, Head of Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Programmes at the FA, agreed:

“We’ve already started to have conversations about how we bring the whole thing together and I think that will continue.

“There’s been attempts in the past. They haven’t always worked.

“We should definitely do more of that cross-collaboration, pooling resources and operating in a way that we complement each other.”

Should Targets be Set?

Many clubs in both the men’s and women’s game have embraced diversity targets for coaching and leadership roles as part of the Football Leadership Diversity Code.

However, should these targets also apply to players?

While the Premier League hasn’t entirely dismissed the idea, they are currently focused on assessing the impact of their ongoing initiatives before considering any extensions.

Director of Football at the Premier League Neil Saunders said:

“We are focusing on the inputs firstly through these ‘Emerging talent festivals’ and increasing the opportunities for players and their families to experience a Premier League event.

“Also through our work with the club staff, whether it be through increasing their understanding around some of the challenges and barriers that exist, but also raising awareness around the competitive advantage that maybe exists in that untapped talent pool of boys from South Asian heritage.”

David McArdle, the EFL’s Director of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, explained they have not set a blanket target for all clubs as communities across the country vary.

He said: “What a lot of clubs pushed back on is, you’re putting a quota on us that doesn’t reflect who we are as a community.

“But we are challenging the clubs to be reflective of their population.”

“So when a club comes to us and says their population is nine per cent South Asian but they are sitting at four per cent in the academy, one of the things that we expect to see in the EDI plan is how they are going to make up that five per cent.”

But Darroch believes now could be the time for targets.

He said: “I think there is some merit in potentially clubs being – not forced – but kind of looking at doing things slightly differently.

“So if there is a target in place it potentially would lead them to start thinking of different ways in which they can engage a wider pool of players.

“I don’t think that is a bad idea. I think it’s one that clubs, the Premier League, and the EFL, some of those that are responsible for recruitment, could consider.”

The lack of British Asian footballers in the elite ranks is a complex issue rooted in a combination of cultural, structural, and societal factors.

While there are promising signs of change, with grassroots initiatives and greater awareness aiming to break down barriers, progress has been slow.

To truly address this disparity, there must be a concerted effort from all levels of the football community – from clubs and governing bodies to local communities and families.

Only by tackling these challenges head-on can the sport hope to create an environment where talent from all backgrounds has an equal opportunity to thrive.