South Asians in Football: John Still hails Anwar Uddin who is shortlisted for award after headlining Brentford and Fulham event | Football News

West Ham academy graduate Anwar Uddin “led by instance”, says the person who signed him for each Bristol Rovers and Dagenham and Redbridge.

Uddin made his English skilled debut at Bristol Rovers the place he had signed from Sheffield Wednesday, following a advice from then-assistant supervisor John Nonetheless.

Uddin is a former FA Youth Cup winner with West Ham and is the primary British-Bangladeshi league participant in English soccer historical past.

He spent two seasons at Rovers earlier than being snapped up by Nonetheless, who had taken the supervisor’s job at Dagenham Redbridge. Nonetheless would go on to make Uddin the captain of his Daggers facet.

“After I went to Dagenham, he was the primary participant I needed to signal. He was a frontrunner,” Nonetheless informed Sky Sports activities Information.

“He was somebody who would stand up them and can be like, ‘get behind me, come on we’re all collectively’. He had that in him. You possibly can’t educate that, it is uncoachable.

“He was loud [in the dressing room], and generally you’d go in there and he would have already sorted it out [if there was a problem]. He’d already had phrases!

“The gamers revered him, due to how laborious he labored, how laborious he educated and the way a lot he gave the sport. He wasn’t simply a kind of that might dig folks out and never himself. He was a person, a correct man who led by instance.

“He was hands-on and simply had an aura about him. Not solely was he a really perfect captain, he was additionally a really perfect particular person to have within the dressing room.”

Nonetheless: Uddin might develop into Mayor of London!

Former Fans for Diversity campaign chief Uddin is the present England C assistant supervisor, and was final yr awarded an MBE for services to football in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list.

Nonetheless insists former Dagenham and Redbridge captain Uddin has a shiny future forward of him, out and in of soccer.

“I feel the longer term is something that he needs to place his hand at,” added Nonetheless who options in ‘The Fall and Rise of Luton’.

“If he needs to get into administration and training in precise day-to-day soccer, I feel he’ll discover his manner in it.

“If he needs to go in and develop into a politician, I feel he’ll discover that. If he needs to develop into Mayor of London, I feel he’ll discover a manner of doing that!”

Trailblazers vie for Asian Achievers Award

Uddin, in the meantime, has simply been shortlisted for Sports activities Persona of the Yr on the Asian Achievers Awards.

Soccer may even be represented at subsequent month’s awards by match official Bhupinder Singh Gill, who Sky Sports News exclusively revealed was going to make history earlier this year by becoming the first Sikh-Punjabi assistant referee ever to preside over a Premier League game.

Bhupinder’s elder brother Sunny is the nation’s highest-ranked South Asian heritage referee. The pair’s father, Jarnail Singh, is league soccer’s first turbaned Sikh referee, with Jarnail presiding over greater than 150 EFL video games between 2004 and 2010.

Ladies’s cricketer and former Middlesex captain Naomi Dattani can be on the listing. Dattani, who made her Middlesex debut aged 14, lined up alongside West Indies star Deandra Dottin for Thunder in The Hundred. The pair scored 100 runs between them in an epic victory in opposition to Northern Diamonds final month, with all-rounder Dattani additionally chipping in with 4 wickets.

Middleweight boxer Hamzah Sheeraz prolonged his excellent file to 18-0 after making mild work of Dmytro Mytrofanov on the Oleksandr Usk and Daniel Dubois undercard final weekend. The Slough fighter, who could possibly be in line for a crack at Britsh champion Denzel Bentley subsequent, completes the nominations for the Sports activities Persona of the Yr accolade.

Uddin headlines Brentford and Fulham joint celebration

Uddin was a visitor speaker on the Gtech Neighborhood Stadium earlier this month as Brentford and Fulham joined palms for a first-of-its-kind South Asian Heritage Month joint celebration occasion between two Premier League golf equipment.

Uddin was joined by Brentford non-executive director Preeti Shetty, Sky Sports activities Information’ Dev Trehan and Spurs REACH followers’ group co-founder Sash Patel as they spoke about their journeys and work within the recreation on the occasion known as Tales To Inform: Celebrating South Asian changemakers in English soccer.

Brentford’s enterprise communications supervisor and Javan Odegah from Leaders in Sport additionally hosted panel discussions with former Bees participant Nevin Saroya, PFA government Riz Rehman and Brenford operations director Ameesh Manak, earlier than an in-depth highlight chat with group stalwarts Nity Raj and FARE Community chief government Piara Powar.

Fulham collaborated with the Followers for Range marketing campaign, Soccer Social LDN, Grassroots Soccer UK and the Sky Sports activities and Sporting Equals partnership final yr for his or her first-ever South Asian Heritage Month occasion.

The joint occasion, aimed primarily at employees from each golf equipment, varieties a part of the legacy of final yr’s occasion and is considered by Fulham as one other stepping stone in the direction of a extra complete plan to assist and enhance South Asian illustration.

Fulham head of EDI Jamie Dapaah informed Sky Sports activities Information: “South Asian Heritage Month is of great significance because it supplies a chance to recognise, have fun, and lift consciousness in regards to the numerous cultures, histories, and contributions of individuals with South Asian heritage on and off the sphere.

“Fulham Soccer Membership is proud to collaborate with Brentford for this occasion and on this area. This highlights the significance of unity.”

Kaammini Chanrai, Fairness and Inclusion Director at Brentford, added: “Rising up as a South Asian particular person, I could not see myself represented in soccer. A few years later, issues lastly really feel like they’re altering – there may be higher illustration throughout our employees, in our boardrooms and in our fanbase. 

“We needed to do our half in increasing the dialog about South Asian illustration in soccer, each on and off the pitch. This occasion is an excellent place to start out. Storytelling, celebration, collaboration and listening to lived experiences are how we transfer the dial and take motion.

“We’re proud to have finished this occasion with Fulham Soccer Membership. On the pitch, we’re very a lot west London rivals, however off the pitch we’re very a lot united in our want to see better inclusion and illustration in soccer.”

British South Asians in Football

For extra tales, options and movies, go to our groundbreaking South Asians in Football page on skysports.com and South Asians in the Game blog and keep tuned to Sky Sports activities Information and our Sky Sports activities digital platforms