Asia may be the most populous continent on the planet, but in the world of football it is more in the importing than exporting trade.
While European clubs are overflowing with non-local players, Asia – and its diaspora – is still massively under-represented compared to their European, South American and African counterparts.
While players from Far Eastern countries like South Korea and Japan have flooded the world, the Middle East and South Asia have barely a trickle.
Only one Pakistani has ever made an appearance in the Premier League during its 20-year history, and he is determined to make sure that statistic becomes history.
Zesh Rehman, 28, a British Asian who grew up in Birmingham, made his debut for Fulham in 2004 in what should have been the beginning of a new wave of Asian players breaking into English football.
Now, according to his brother Riz Rehman, who runs the Zesh Rehman Foundation in England while Zesh currently plays abroad, there are no South Asian players in the English football league.
The Foundation acts as a go-between the footballing world and the local communities. Supported and represented by luminaries such as Bryan Robson, Steven Gerrard and Andy Cole, its aim is to improve participation among the Asian population.
Facing adversity
Stigmas, ignorance and misconceptions all stood in Zesh’s way to becoming the Premier League’s first British Asian player. “I grew up with comments,” says Zesh, recently in Dubai for a pre-season tour with his club Kitchee, who played a friendly against Al Wasl.
“From the age of 10 I was told ‘you’re never going to make it’, Asian background, scared of the weather, wrong diet, never going to be strong enough… so before they’ve kicked a ball, they’ve put you on a platform, trying to overcome certain preconceptions of them.
“Not the players making racist comments but sometimes the crowd would shout insults, depending on where you’re playing and what the score is at the time. There’s still a lot of issues recently in the UK. That’s where the foundation comes in to educate the scouts, coaches, parents etc. Ultimately, it’s a matter of ignorance which comes from a lack of education so you have to start at the grass roots level.”
Does the pioneering player see clubs’ academies brimming with young Asian talent? “Not really, one or two, the stats are quite alarming. There’s still a lot to be done, which why I set up the foundation. It’s not necessarily about producing better players but producing better people. An academy is the next step. If I can make the journey smoother for someone than it was for me, then that is what I’m here for.”
While the foundation does most of its work on British shores, Zesh is keen to help players around Asia, particularly in his home country – Pakistan. Zesh feels the influx of foreign coaches and globalisation of the game can inspire Asians to take up the game in greater numbers.
Making a difference
“The more the leagues open the doors to foreign players and coaches, the better the level gets within the league. In Asia now there is a lot of talent. Although the UAE didn’t get through the group stages at the Olympics a lot of the individuals stood out, attracting interest from Premier League teams. If the clubs have the right connections in Asia then they can unearth some gems.”
Rehman believes children need figureheads to inspire them. He said: “I think at the minute there aren’t enough role models for them to look up to. Secondly, misconceptions and negative perceptions of Asians as sports people damage a player’s chances before they’ve even kicked a ball.
“It took 30-40 years for black players to come through and now they’re represented by almost every team. It took the early one or two to go through the abuse, the hardships, to open the door for the next generation. I hope it doesn’t take another 30-40 years for Asians, but hopefully Asian kids will want to follow in my footsteps, not just British Asians but other Asians.”
Zesh’s brother Riz added: “The big clubs like QPR, Liverpool, Chelsea, all areas with a large Asian population, but a lot of them don’t integrate with the local communities. So we’re working with the Premier League to help open them up to their local communities, setting up grass roots initiatives and helping Asian players get into clubs.”
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