Why is there a lack of south Asian footballers ?

Now quite clearly I am not someone of south Asian descent however as a POC this is a subject which has always played on my mind so I thought it would make for a interesting video .

[@LondonBoy981]

A few reasons. I'm 35 now and when I was younger was quite good and have played with so many good Indian players. But there was A lot of racism at grass roots, with some coaches stereotyping the diets, builds, etc of South asians, for example. Also back then parents wouldn't encourage this too much. I would like to think this will change soon with 2nd and 3rd generation Asians now being the parents.

[@30goals]

Thank you for acknowledging and speaking on the issue no one will. Every voice is important.

[@Virajasaur]

If I tell my parents I want to be a footballer, they would laugh at me and tell me to go back to studying. This is the case for many young Indians that migrate from India. And I know this may sound ridiculous to you, but many Indian parents pressure their kids to focus solely on their studies. Many Indian immigrants, like my parents, leave everything behind to create a better life for their kids. And to ensure that we become successful, our parents make sure we study and not get distracted. To them a career in sports is risky and not reliable. I hope this mentality changes because I love football, and I want to see my country compete with the best.

[@humzahhassan4521]

I never understood why u can’t do both. Join an academy at 14 do well at gcse at 16. Play academy and do a levels or go to first team then after ur career do a levels if u haven’t done them already and go to uni. School comes first but I don’t get the harm in participating in sports seriously as long as you keep school first

[@slaveofthemostmerciful178]

Humzah Hassan yh but then u have mosque as well and it’s a lot of commitments. To Asian parents football is seen as a waste of time

[@anish7183]

This is black parents too tho

[@davidx4008]

Its racism they strictly avoid recruiting asians in football, because they know once when enters they will be more and more wanting to join.

[@CC-ec1ft]

I’m Asian, I wanted to be a footballer but it was a thing where I didn’t get the opportunities. If I had a chance to I’ll fully play and try make it pro

[@uzairdakri880]

Racism plain and simple. Got rejected a lot when I played grass root a lot.

[@milangamerz315]

Yes true brother

[@AyanAli-py7ci]

I think there is racism involved How did Pakistani boxers win WBC world champions and WBO European titles? Its because boxing is an individual sport from private sponsors. Football is a team sport representing your country They don't want South Asians representing their country In boxing, you're representing yourself

[@Oyjsf]

Fax they dont want a guy representing England with a name like Singh, Akbar, Ali etc

[@SaSa-fs8sb]

Mathematics, Literacy English language , numeracy. Studying , learning a skill , a skill with dexterity.

[@Trudon]

the asian football fanbase is huge. baffles me that there's not one in the prem.

[@Trudon]

@Arslan Malik isn't he mixed race though?

[@Virajasaur]

Football in India is growing. Lots of money is being invested the football leagues of India, and young players are beginning to develop. The problem is our current squad is no good. The Indian national team embarrasses the country when they play. It's a pity that such a large country can't even make it to the qualifying rounds of the world cup. The national team of any country inspires the future players of that country. Right now the national team of India isn't inspiring anyone.

[@mrss9127]

Systematic racism from the FA, scouting structure and at grass roots level. Asians have been here since the 50’s and are not new in the UK like EU Migrants. The breakthrough will come in Europe. Not in UK.

[@Sa7biUK]

Good point re breakthrough. Look at 'Gheyas Zahid' who's a Norwegian-Pakistani player with 1 cap for Norway and has also appeared in the Champions league

[@Sa7biUK]

@Anish Mestre Benzema is of Algerian descent and Ozil of Turkish origin. This is about south Asian descent footballers...

[@Sa7biUK]

@Anish Mestre Ok now you're trolling. Goodbye.

[@muhammaduddin9268]

To be a footballer you must be very fit and healthy.You must stop eating spicy foods and eat fish and chips and Italian foods basically healthy foods with energy.Footballers run 7 to 9 miles per game and kick the ball 60mph to 80mph and football is a team work game.Asian kids should join youth club at age 6 years and over for example West Ham United youth club.Weekend training cost £20 to £30 for the couch for training kids.

[@T33K4Y]

For me at least, it was dream to become a footballer but unfortunately that's all it ever was, a dream. Not to toot my own horns but I consider myself technically and tactically a very good player who with the right training and diet could've been a Premier League level player, I'm confident I would've made it. But I would never have the balls to tell my parents that, it just wouldn't happen. With white and even black people, football is well embedded into their culture; football is a way of life. So their kids will experience football right from a very young age and thus, they will grow a liking to it themselves. The parents will buy them a football to play with and as they get older and grow their understanding, they start to dream of becoming what they see week in week out. Parents see this and take their kids to academies. There is a huge pool of South Asian talents being wasted, kids just waiting to be unearthed. We may have to wait another generation but if others my age have the same mentality as me and have their kids join academies at an early age with the sole purpose of becoming world class football players (which I'm sure there are and it's just a matter of time before the first major breakthrough) then we will see an influx of South Asian players and the world will finally see what us Asians can really do. No offence to Neil Taylor but he's only half Asian and his name doesn't really shout "South Asian" at you. I had no idea he was Asian until I heard a commentator mention it once. We need players whose parents are of one race. In the end, it all comes down to parenting.

[@humzahhassan4521]

I never understood why u can’t do both. Join an academy at 14 do well at gcse at 16. Play academy and do a levels or go to first team then after ur career do a levels if u haven’t done them already and go to uni. School comes first but I don’t get the harm in participating in sports seriously as long as you keep school first

[@aglockinmasock]

Cheers Deluded, top banana! Serious issue, needs discussing. I wanted to be a footballer, then I remembered I'm 36, got a belly as big as a ball and most importantly, I'll probably be shit

[@headbang3r519]

Because our parents keep us grounded, education comes first and everything else second but by the time we are free to choose whatever we want, it is already too late at 21.

[@HapPawhere]

Sport need to be developed at a young age too. SO if you are late, you are gone

[@HapPawhere]

Most popular footballer are from football academic from a young age

[@shahannaseer5516]

The reason that lack of south Asian in game is that FA and premier league are not promoting game in these communities . IN UK there are Millions South Asian kids that play football and support PL teams . They are missing Trick the PL and Premier league clubs . We had South Asian England Cricket Captain - Naseer Hussain . World champion Boxer - Aimar Khan . Most of the big Football clubs are in Big Cities like London / Manchester and Birmingham . I have been waiting 40 years see the first Asian superstar , Image the Marketing the FA or PL clubs could do with this player in Indian / Pakistan / Bangledesh ( 1 Billion people to Market too ) look at the Indian Cricket Premier league its worth Billions .

[@AyanAli-py7ci]

I think most Pakistani boys like boxing and MMA Look at Hamzah Sheeraz He is the WBO champion right now

[@SaSa-fs8sb]

I am South Asian, a graduate from university we study for fun. Problem is in the public schools y'all don't want to learn , y'all always kicking a ball round.

[@user-ts1gj9wb6u]

In India screwed up in the 1950's mate by not going to the WC for not having boots. Otherwise it would have been massive. Some clubs are very old as old as many English clubs. Durand cup too has to be re-invented as its the 3rd oldest trophy after FA n all but its kinda grasping its last breath. Anyways always great to hear and yeah hope it grows in asia.

[@safinhh8312]

we need role models man

[@GeneralGrizzy]

Closest thing we’ve got is Hamza Choudary

[@Oyjsf]

Hes half black tho

[@ish164]

The problem is proper multiculturalism has only been successful since the early 90s when white people went to school with asians who have 2nd generation asian parents (who are much more integrated in UK society than 1st generation asians having grown up in the country). So white people have only really had a chance to realise that asians really arent that much different from everyone else and are just as good as everyone else at football by going to school, playing football and being mates with each other since the 90s but most coaches and scouts are 30+ so they have a much different more stereotypical mentality.

[@CC-ec1ft]

I’m tryna be different

[@SaSa-fs8sb]

Bread and circuses , 🍞🍞🍞🍞🍞🍞🍞,

[@sunnycriti9809]

Time South Asians in Asia should stop supporting any British clubs.We have other clubs like Real Madrid, Barca,Bayern and many more. 500 years ago the gypsies left India. There is a museum about them in Chandigarh India. They have brought forth hundreds of world famous football players. Most people don't know this ? You can google it. Nowadays the Roma gypsies want to have legal recognition from India and to be treated as NRI.

[@sonerkadir7920]

Because they are all playing cricket

[@SaSa-fs8sb]

What does football do ???? F all

[@GHOST-ig6bi]

Just take a look at the abuse black players receive in professional football. What parent would allow asians to go through the same shit. In countries like Morocco, Algeria, Turkey etc it is fine but if you are a Muslim/Asian player in England, it is flipping tough to even get into lower leagues. I have seen amazing talent that was prejudged and disregarded purely based on race. It is what it is. England are double world champions in cricket. Compare our cricket national team verses our national football side- there is no comparison. Discrimination in a sport limits chances of obtaining silverware for any team sport. I think an investigation has to start from the lower leagues and up. I don’t think higher leagues are discriminatory necessarily but the lower leagues definitely are.

[@YUSKHAN]

Poor genetics

[@HapPawhere]

Black people will always better in sport genetic. South East Asia got it but it's not popular internationally like Haland or Mbappe. Today WC is all east asia countries which is has more athletic genetic than Southeast Asia which always lost in WC qualification

[@CC-ec1ft]

South East Asians play basketball

[@aterry173]

1. Multiculturalism was forced on to the people, it wasn't voted in by the people. 2. South Asians tend to not play in the PL, however massively represented in the Doctor profession. Whats that tell you? Why aint there jewish players in the PL? 3. Look at the England cricket team. Theres a fair representation of South Asians. 4. I thought you get a place in the team because of merit and trying schemes to get South Asians in is simply ridiculous. Lastly if your calling out under representation, would you call out the over-representation of black players in the England team???

[@AyanAli-py7ci]

There is Pakistanis in boxing and local MMA leagues but they're the poorest ethnicity in the UK.

[@groundzero5708]

Tbcz blacl football players are better than white

[@stefanokuoimose7991]

Well first, multiculturalism wasn’t forced on by anyone, Britain’s economy at the time was on the verge of collapse, a minority group of south Asian and Caribbeans emigrated to the UK for that reason, which is nothing considering they fought for Britain in the in the two wars (5m soldiers combined) plus the Indians at the time gave billions of £ worth of aid (which hasn’t been paid back) to help their war effort, so before u chat bullocks go read a book u twat. And you speak like meritocracy is a thing, many of the players scouted are picked on the preconceived possibility of potential which are based on stereotypes, the amount of white Epl players that are so shit that they make you wonder how tf they made to the top level will shock you. If you seriously think south Asian arent as physically capable as whites then I guess you’ve got your head so far up your arse u can’t think. wasn’t Naseem ranked the greatest British boxer of all time!?

[@tsahneela]

We have bad genes and are too fat. Do u see south Asians in any sport outside of cricket? Not really bc again we have terrible genes and are not cut out for sports.

[@vikesh500]

What a stupid comment. We have Asian boxers, powerlifters, runners, athletes across all disciplines. It’s not genes, it’s obvious racism- don’t see why you’re generalising a whole continent just because you’re not cut out for sports

[@AyanAli-py7ci]

Pakistanis are running local boxing divisions and have European belts right now. Hamzah Sheeraz is the WBO European champion. Amir Khan was 2 time world champion. Kash Farooq is the WBA champion. I think Pakistanis focus on fighting more than football.

[@AyanAli-py7ci]

@Mohin Khan just football is where they get racism or else boxing and MMA is filled with Pakistanis now. Frank Warren has 5 Pakistanis on his roster.

[@AyanAli-py7ci]

Pakistanis do great in European boxing leagues now. As a matter of fact Pakistanis have higher lean body mass per height compared to Italians, Asians