A proud day for the city’s Asian football team
FOOTBALLERS from Leicester can be proud of their performance at the UK’s first nationwide British Asian football tournament, their coach says.
The Indian Premier League Soccer (IPLSoccer) tournament at Derby County’s Pride Park Stadium saw players selected through regional trials showcase their talents.
The event featured teams from Leicester, London, Birmingham and Derby.
London Warriors beat Birmingham Challengers 3-1 in the final, after beating both Leicester Galacticos and the Derby Crusaders.
Each team had a former Premier League star playing for them.
Joining Jermaine Pennant, Lee Hendrie and Marlon Harewood was former Leicester City, Aston Villa and England striker Darius Vassell, who replaced Emile Heskey in the Galacticos side.
Ex-England striker Michael Owen, who backed the project, was among the famous faces at Sunday’s tournament, with boxer Amir Khan and his wife Faryal Makhdoom, Punjabi singer Juggy
D, and former Newcastle striker and IPLSoccer ambassador Michael Chopra.
Leicester head coach Satish Sedani said: “The day was fantastic, and events like IPLSoccer point players such as the ones in my team in the right direction.
“It was really well organised and our team did really well.
“Our team was down 3-0 after the first half and that left our boys feeling pretty discouraged.
“At half-time we had a pep talk and I told them to remain positive.
“Derby County’s pitch is fullsize, which you can imagine was daunting for the team.
“On top of that the pitch was surrounded by seats where thousands of people usually watch.
“Stuff like that is really scary, especially because I had 16 and 17-year-olds on the team, so for them it’s nerveracking. But ultimately they did really well.
“The youngsters were really disappointed, so to cheer them up, I introduced them to Michael Chopra, who gave them some words of encouragement.
“I told Brit Asia TV that despite the loss, they made it through the trials and they played on live TV.
“This event was a stepping stone for the boys, and we know next year, they will come back bigger and better.”
Ex-Liverpool and Manchester United striker Owen said: “The IPLSoccer event has been a long time in the making and it was great to have such a good turnout.
“The quality of the performances was superb and underlines why there needs to be more British Asian heritage representation within the game.
“Pride Park has been a perfect setting, the fans have enjoyed themselves and with bhangra music it’s been a fantastic family atmosphere.
“Congratulations to London Warriors for winning the first IPLSoccer event but today is about celebrating diversity in football and hopefully encouraging more British Asians to get involved.”
IPLSoccer founder Sany Supra said: “The British Asian community has come together to show their support for the teams and underline what a huge opportunity it is for the game to do more to attract players of British Asian heritage to the sport.
“This first event has highlighted the untapped talent in British Asian football.”