South Asians in Football Weekly: Hamza Choudhury’s dream week, Danny Batth makes Norwich debut, Aqsa Mushtaq set for OFI Crete transfer

The latest edition of South Asians in Football Weekly is out after another fantastic week for the community in the ‘Beautiful Game’…

Hamza Choudhury enjoyed a dream week for Leicester City, signing a new contract before playing at Anfield – and then rounded off the week by wearing the captain’s armband for the Foxes on his birthday!

Leicester announced that the academy graduate had signed a new four-year contract on the morning of their trip to Anfield to play Liverpool in the Carabao Cup.

After putting pen to paper on new terms, Choudhury said: “It’s a great feeling for me and my family.

“This is my home. I’ve obviously spent most of my life here with the same people in the same environment.

“I’m looking forward to moving on now and hopefully helping the team return to the Premier League. Staying here for another four years is exactly what I want.”

Leicester took a shock third-minute lead against Liverpool last week before the home side came back to win 3-1, with Choudhury playing the full 90 minutes in midfield.

The British-Bengali midfielder came off the bench this weekend to help Leicester to an emphatic 4-1 win against Blackburn Rovers as they returned to the top of the Championship.

Choudhury, who played as an inverted full-back on his 26th birthday, was given the captain’s armband after Ricardo Pereira and Jamie Vardy were both substituted at Ewood Park as Leicester would take the three points.

Dilan Markanday started that match for Blackburn after the ex-Tottenham youngster continued his impressive cup form for Rovers earlier this week.

Markanday rounded off the scoring, scoring his fourth goal in six Carabao Cup starts with a composed finish as Blackburn thumped Cardiff City.

The forward was recognized for his achievements in selection in the Carabao Cup Team of the Round – in a front three position alongside Liverpool duo Diogo Jota and Cody Gakpo – as he helped Rovers set up a mouthwatering clash at Chelsea.

Speak with RoversTV after the South Wales win, Markanday said: “I loved it, it was a really nice night and we scored five goals against good opposition.

“The goals are the result of all the hard work we put in on the training pitch every day.

“As a striker, goals, assists and creating chances are a big part of my game. If I want to keep getting chances here, I have to keep doing that.

“I want more opportunities in the future and to do that, I have to prove to the coach that I can do it.”

Meanwhile, Rovers stormed to the top of the Barclays Women’s Championship with a fine 2-0 win over Lewes as they recorded their third win on the bounce.

Millie Chandarana came into the Dripping Pan maintaining her ever-present record for Blackburn this season after starting the previous four games.

Asmita Ale was also in action, taking part in the opening day of Tottenham’s Women’s Super League match against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Ale came on with Tottenham two goals behind, and although Martha Thomas pulled a goal back, Spurs could get nothing out of the London derby against Emma Hayes’ side and lost 2–1.

Mariam Mahmoud continued her good start to the season with another goal for West Brom in an action-packed cup tie against the Liverpool Feds.

Fran Orthodoxou scored a brilliant late winner in a 3-2 win, with Mahmood scoring to make it 2-2 as West Brom twice came from behind to seal their place in the second round of the FA WNL Cup.

Danny Bat made his debut for Norwich City in the win over Birmingham last weekend.

The experienced defender, who was part of a unique South Asians in the season’s football team at the end of the last campaign, left Sunderland late on Deadline Day to join Norwich.

Batth came on for goalscorer Gabriel Sara’s opening in a 2-0 win for David Wagner’s side at Carrow Road, with Jonathan Rowe also on target as the Canaries ended a run of three consecutive defeats.

The central defender, who turned 33 last month, is under contract with Norwich until the end of the season, with an option for a further year.

Londoner Stephen Constantine has been named the new head coach of Pakistan.

Constantine, who previously served as Millwall’s first-team coach, will take charge of Pakistan for two FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Cambodia next month.

“Stephen has agreed to join the PFF for the time being with a single focus: winning qualifying matches against Cambodia,” a statement from the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) said.

Constantine, who has also managed Nepal and Rwanda, has had two stints as India boss. He led the country in more international matches than any other manager and helped India break into the FIFA top 100.

Shadab Iftikhar guided Pakistan all the way to the final of their first-ever South Asian Football Federation U19 Championship.

Preston-born Iftikhar led the side to wins against Nepal, Maldives and Bhutan before Pakistan lost to India in the final.

Iftikhar became the first British South Asian to ever succeed in senior Scottish football when he took up a six-month spell at Fort William in the Scottish Highland League, ending in May last year.

The Pakistan U19 job is his first role since embarking on his adventure in Scotland.

Sky Sports News He understands that Iftikhar has made a very positive impression on Pakistan’s federation chiefs and is now in line to support the senior team ahead of their World Cup qualifiers next month.

Zahmena Malik was also part of a historic performance for Pakistan after being involved in a first-ever penalty shootout for the women’s team.

After a 1-1 draw, Pakistan’s match with Laos went to penalties, with East Londoner Malik showing no hesitation when it came to taking one.

Malik calmly slotted home her penalty as Paksitan won the shootout to finish above their opponents in the six-team friendly tournament in Saudi Arabia.

Aqsa Mushtaq is set to join OFI Crete after Sky Sports News revealed the forward is ready for a return to club football in Greece.

Mushtaq, who features in the first timeline documenting the history of South Asian heritage players in modern women’s football, spent the second half of last season with Championship side Lewes FC.

She previously played for Greek side Avantes Chalkida, where she won the competition’s Most Valuable Player award.

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.

Dillon de Silva is back in the international atmosphere with Sri Lanka after the country’s football ban due to government interference was recently lifted by FIFA.

The Torquay United winger is one of three England players named in Sri Lanka’s squad for next month’s World Cup qualifier against Yemen, with FC Baresi’s Marvin Hamilton and Aveley midfielder Garrett Clark also in the team.

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