This season's South Asian football team will be presented at the 2024 Asian Football Awards at Wembley Stadium next month.
The team for the 2023/24 season has been selected as follows: Sky Sports News' Dev Trehan and former Eastern Eye Sports Editor Zohaib Rashid celebrate the talent of England's South Asian players and their achievements on the pitch at The Game.
The Asian Football Awards will return to Wembley Stadium once again on September 25. Sky Sports News Bringing you expert Dharmesh Sheth.
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Dharmesh Sheth and Sam Tighe discuss whether Liverpool should allow club contributors Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk to leave on free transfers next summer.
This event is supported by: The Football Association, Premier League, Professional Footballers' Association, PGMOL and Kick It Out and the Football Supporters' Association through their Fans for Diversity campaign.
Hearts attacking midfielder Yan Dhanda won the Young Player of the Year award at the 2013 awards ceremony and was named in the South Asian Football Team of the Year for the second consecutive season.
““I am very proud of my background and ethnicity and am proud to be part of the team for the season once again,” Dhanda said. Sky Sports News.
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Jan Danda hit the crossbar with this stunning goal on his Hearts debut against Rangers in the opening game of the Scottish Premiership season.
“Now we have to keep going, raise the bar and try to be successful every year, but I’m really proud to be back on the team.”
Shrewsbury Town full-back Mal Benning said: Sky Sports News: “I'm over the moon. To be named in the Team of the Season is an honour and to be named in the South Asian team on Football 1 is something I'm extremely proud of and honoured about.
“It takes a lot of hard work and discipline. You have to focus on your work every day, but it’s always really nice to be recognized like this.
“There aren't many South Asian players in the squad so having them in the squad this season means a lot.”
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Throughout the match, people celebrated Sky Sports' commitment to British South Asians in football.
Millie Chandarana, who was the only South Asian woman to sign a professional contract in last season's Women's Championship, has also retained her place on the team this season.
Chandarana was a consistent performer for Blackburn Rovers, scoring the team's goal-of-the-season award for two consecutive years before moving to Nottingham Forest.
“It’s a real honour to be named to the Team of the Season for the second year in a row,” Chandarana said. Sky Sports News.
“It was an honour in the first year but to be nominated for a second year is incredible and I am delighted to see so many South Asian men and women from the UK in the Team of the Season.
“It's something very unique. I've never seen anything like it before. And to be up there with some of the biggest names in America is really special.”
Founder of Asian Football Awards Baljeet Rihal said he was delighted to be able to help bring South Asian players selected for the England Team of the Season back to the home of English football, especially at a time when the lack of representation remains a “pervasive issue” across the football landscape.
“Our last awards ceremony was in 2017 and a lot has happened in South Asian football since then,” he added.
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We look back at some of the greatest goals scored by South Asia's heritage goal machine Michael Chopra.
“There are many stories to highlight where people and organisations deserve recognition, but the broader issue of a lack of representation in professional football for the South Asian community still exists.
“We believe that bringing back the award will not only raise awareness and encourage more people to get involved in professional football, but also raise awareness among club decision-makers and act as a catalyst to tackle this issue.”
Leicester City midfielder Arjan Raiki joined Sky Sports News' Dev Trehan at an event to mark the signing of a number of South Asian breakthrough players to last season's squad.
Dal Darroch, FA diversity programme director, said: “This will be an important opportunity to celebrate the inspiring work of people who are making a positive impact on South Asian communities across the UK.”
“Creating opportunities for the South Asian community is very important to us, and we are committed to using our influence to drive this forward.
“We have made good progress in this area in recent years, but we know there is still much to do and it is vital that football bodies continue to work together to ensure that our game is truly representative.
“The Asian community is the largest ethnic minority group in the country, and ensuring that this is better reflected in our games will remain a strategic priority for us for years to come.”
British South Asians in Football
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