South Asians in Football Weekly: Arjan Raikhy scores screamer, Hamza Choudhury captains Leicester, Odisha FC’s Raj Athwal visits Parliament
The latest edition of South Asians in Football Weekly is out after another productive week for the community in the Beautiful Game…
Arjan Raikhy opened his Leicester City account in style with the opening goal of the match in last week’s Papa Johns Trophy match against Wigan.
The Sikh-Punjabi prodigy, who Sky Sports News revealed joined the Foxes after leaving Aston Villa in the summer, scoring a screamer after half an hour, drilling into the top left corner from 25 yards before Leicester’s U21s fell apart and eventually lost 7-1.
Raikhy rose to prominence after scoring a wonder goal against Chelsea for Villa’s U18s in November 2020.
The technically gifted midfielder made his first-team debut just two months later in an FA Cup third round tie against Liverpool, a moment described as “incredible” by supporters group Punjabi Villans.
The central midfielder enjoyed another productive season the following season when he earned the distinction by helping two teams, Stockport County and Grimsby Town, gain promotion to the Football League during two separate loan spells.
Raikhy attended the South Asian Heritage Month friendly between Sporting Khalsa and Punjab United earlier this summer before completing his move to the Foxes.
Graduated from the Academy Hamza Choudhury the following evening he proudly captained Leicester under Enzo Maresca against Norwich.
Choudhury, who featured a first-of-its-kind South Asians in the season’s football team and is the only British-Bangladeshi to have played in the Premier League, filled in at right-back for Maresca’s Championship table-toppers in the absence of Ricardo Pereira.
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Highlights from the Sky Bet Championship match between Norwich City and Leicester City.
The Loughborough-born former academy captain put in a superb performance to help Leicester secure a convincing 2-0 win at Carrow Road to maintain their 100 per cent league record away from home.
Maresca explained his decision to appoint the 25-year-old Choudhury captain for the match with Norwich: “He is one of the academy players. He was born here.
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Hamza Choudhury making history with Leicester as British South Asian FA Cup winners should be highlighted and celebrated, the FA Council’s first-ever Muslim member Yunus Lunat told Sky Sports News.
“Also in the way he works and we try to give some of them responsibility.
“Hamza is not a youth academy player who is going to the first team at the moment. Absolutely not.
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Highlights from the Sky Bet Championship match between Leicester City and Bristol City.
“Now he is in the first team and he has to show responsibility and leadership.”
Chairman of Odisha FC Raj Athwal visited the Houses of Parliament last week before heading to India for the start of the Indian Super League season.
Odisha FC chairman Raj Athwal speaks to Sky Sports News’ Dev Trehan at the House of Lords
Athwal and the Government of Odisha were hosted by Baroness Verma at the House of Lords for discussions on South Asians in football, and opportunities around trade and corporate social responsibility.
Aqsa Mushtaq is ready for a return to club football in Greece, Sky Sports News understands.
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Aqsa Mushtaq spoke to Sky Sports News while at Lewes FC about making history as the first player of Pakistani descent to play professionally in Italy.
The striker, who features in the first timeline documenting the history of South Asian heritage players in modern women’s football, spent the second half of the campaign with Championship side Lewes FC.
Mushtaq previously played in the Greek top division for Avantes Chalkida and won the Most Valuable Player award with the Crete team last year.
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A unique timeline documenting the history of South Asian female players in modern English football has been launched in the hope of inspiring a new generation.
Mushtaq is a graduate of Lenoir-Rhyne University, where she scored 13 goals in 17 games in her final season of college in North Carolina.
In 2019, Mushtaq was named South Atlantic Conference Player of the Year, securing a move to Napoli, where she became the first player of Pakistani descent to join a women’s team playing in Italy’s top division.
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Geordie hero and British South Asian football pioneer Michael Chopra joined Toon Army and Sky Sports News’ Keith Downie ahead of their Champions League showdown with AC Milan!
Michael Chopra was on again Sky Sports News last week when he joined Newcastle fans in Milan ahead of their Champions League clash with AC Milan.
Chopra was part of the Newcastle team that last played in the Champions League some 21 years ago and joined the supporters on a day to remember ahead of a 0-0 draw and a point win in San Siro.
Ali Zafar’s miracle goal helped the pioneer of Scottish football Shadab Iftikhar get off to a winning start as head coach of Pakistan U19.
Zafar’s 35-yard strike gave Pakistan a 1-0 win over Nepal in their first match at the U19 South Asian Football Federation Championship.
Shah Jahan scored a late equalizer in Pakistan’s second match of the competition to end in a 1-1 draw against Maldives, booking a place in the semi-finals for the Iftikhar boys.
Iftikhar became the first British South Asian to ever succeed in senior Scottish football when he took a six-month spell with Fort William in the Scottish Highland League, which ended in May last year.
London seaward striker Zahmena Malik also took part in international action with Pakistan again in the past week.
Malik helped Pakistan to a goalless draw in their friendly tournament opener against Malaysia before playing in their second match, which saw Pakistan slide to a 1-0 defeat by hosts Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, Manchester United retires Safia Middleton-Patel was part of the Wales squad for the country’s first Women’s Nations League match.
Middleton-Patel, who turned 19 last week, was an unused substitute in Wales’ 1-0 defeat to Iceland.
British South Asians in football
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