Liverpool FC Forum

[woof woof !]

they should also ban wearing of headscarfs and turbans or force them to be hidden (i know this is not possible to hide them).

What do you mean "it's not possible to hide them" ?























































 

[112-1077774096]

[Cool Hand Luke]

I just noticed this thread now, and as an Asian I thought I would give my perspective on the lack of Asian footballers in England.

Firstly, Asian immigration only kicked off in the 1960s. So we are only really seeing third generations coming through now. The first generations consisted of villagers who came here to do manual work purely so they could eat and have shelter and give their children better opportunities in life. Most of them didn’t even know what football was. I once heard a second generation Asian say, “The first generation didn’t move country and slave in the factories so that we could go chasing dreams”. The attitude of first generation Asian was to get their children into education and pursue a safe route to a better life rather than “chasing dreams” So even if second generation Asians were into football (many of them weren’t) their parents and even themselves never tried to make it.

Cricket is another thing that has prevented young Asians getting into football. The first generation parents that came here were far more likely to push their children into cricket than football, this is clear by the amount of Asians on the domestic cricket circuit and there is now even a handful that have represented England at international level.

Another factor is height, the average Asian man is shorter than the average white and black man, and height is a massive factor in youth football, at youth level coaches are obsessed with height and power.

As strange as it may sound, another reason is the traditional diets of people from the subcontinent. They live off curries and very rich oily food that doesn’t exactly promote healthy living for an athlete.

I think things are at quite a pivotal point with a new third generation coming through. Young Asians are starting to become quite fanatic about football and more and more are becoming match going fans. Were as before it didn’t even cross the mind of Asian parents to get their children involved in football, the second and third generations are doing it consistently. I don’t think that Asian footballers will have the same impact in English football as blacks have had due to natural physical attributes and traditional diet, but I can see the third and forth generations making significant breakthroughs over the next 20 years or so.

Its hard to say how much racism their was in football in the 60s, 70,s 80s and 90s but it wouldn’t have made a huge amount of difference to Asian footballers any way, because there were very few of them around. I think over the next 20 years we will start to see Asian footballer breaking through as the second and third generation football fanatic Asians push their children into it from a young age.

[Nando]

I am an Asian and play for an all Asian team in the local saturday league in South Wales. What everyone said in the thread about the average Asian being smaller than the average white person is quite correct. However, my team boasts 4 oriental players and they are much smaller than us and the average Oriental person is much smaller than the average Asian person but Oriental footballers are scattered throughout World Football.

The main reason that there are not any Asians in the Premiership is because the generation which is growing up now are fathered and mothered by a generation who were born in Pakistan and thus live by their homeland ethics and morals where its not approved that an individual should pursue a career in Sports as it doesnt have great job security and you may never make it as a professional. I can almost guarantee that if a youngster had a chance to sign a youth professional contract with a top flight club, his parents would be less than enthused and would prefer him to carry on the family business or look for a more academic career. The local communities image of an Asian family by their Asian peers is that they want themselves and their family to be seen in a positive light and not be talked about negatively.

A lot of people talk about how Cricket is the preferred Asian sport and that rules out any interest in Football. I can say this is not true. Cricket is only played during late spring and summer so from April to August. Throughout the rest of the year Football is the main sport. I play for a Football and Cricket team and if I was offered to be the main Pakistani cricketer as opposed to being a Liverpool player then I would definitely choose the latter.

I have no doubt that within the next 20 years there will be an influx of Asian footballers playing professionally as that generation will have been raised by people like myself who were born and raised in this country and are avid followers of football. I have been surprised by the times I have gone to Anfield to see so many Asian Liverpool supporters. I also remember an article written on www.liverpoolfc.tv about a month go highlighting why so many British Asians follow Liverpool more than any other club in Britain.

[Mannyk]

This is not racist - but fact.

Why are there not many black Olympic swimmers?

I dont know if this is true but I heard that because blacks have heavier bones they find it very difficult to swim.

Wher do women have short black curly hair?

Ans . Fiji

Thought I 'd throw that one in

[dawson99]

Nando, why play for an all asian team? isnt that just adding to the distance that different cultures are feeling when they play?

[Nando]

Nando, why play for an all asian team? isnt that just adding to the distance that different cultures are feeling when they play?

The team i play for was set up by the local Asian community. We have Pakistani, Bengali, Chinese and Black players in the team. We certainly dont discourage any white players to join the team

[The Manhattan Project]

I dont know if this is true but I heard that because blacks have heavier bones they find it very difficult to swim.

Not true.

The issue of blacks not being swimmers probably has more to do with the fact in Western nations, black athletes tend to gravitate towards more popular and available sports like football, gridiron, baseball, basketball etc...and in the Third World they just don't have the necessary facilities to seriously become swimmers.

[112-1077774096]

I dont know if this is true but I heard that because blacks have heavier bones they find it very difficult to swim.

Not true.

The issue of blacks not being swimmers probably has more to do with the fact in Western nations, black athletes tend to gravitate towards more popular and available sports like football, gridiron, baseball, basketball etc...and in the Third World they just don't have the necessary facilities to seriously become swimmers.

so are you suggesting the people in the west indies do not have water to swim in when they are surrounded by the most beautiful seas?

[The Manhattan Project]

so are you suggesting the people in the west indies do not have water to swim in when they are surrounded by the most beautiful seas?

I have no doubt they have water nearby, but they may not have the training facilities and coaches needed to turn them into world-beaters.