John Gregory joined by British South Asian footballers at Punjabi Villans Diwali event at Villa Park; Neil Taylor makes Middlesbrough switch; West Brom host Panjab FA camp; Dilan Markanday wins Premier League 2 Player of the Month; England could miss out on Manchester United's Zidane Iqbal
Monday 22 November 2021 12:26, UK
Former manager John Gregory returned to the Directors' Club at Villa Park for a Diwali fundraiser hosted by fans' group Punjabi Villans and the Aston Villa Foundation.
Gregory, who played for the club and served as manager between 1998 and 2002, was the main speaker at the sold-out charity dinner, which attracted more than 100 guests, including Villa U23 coach George Boateng, 1982 European Cup winner Gary Shaw, and In the Line of Duty star and Villa fan Nigel Boyce.
Bhangra artist Banger opened proceedings before panel discussions with Aston Villa first-team sports scientist Aman Shergill, Derby County Women's winger Kira Rai, experienced British South Asain footballer Mal Benning and academy graduate Arjan Raikhy, who helped Villa win the FA Youth Cup last season.
Raikhy is currently on loan at Stockport, and came off the bench to set up County's fifth in the Conference side's stunning 5-3 FA Cup first-round upset against Bolton last week.
The 19-year-old is one of just four British South Asians footballers with a Premier League contract, alongside Leicester City's Hamza Choudhury, Manchester United forward Zidan Iqbal and Tottenham attacking midfielder Dilan Markanday.
Gregory spoke about his journey in football and his time at Villa, and recounted his time as a manager with Chennaiyin FC who he guided to the Indian Super League title in 2018.
Punjabi Villans co-founder Monnie Bhullar told Sky Sports News: "We were absolutely delighted to team up with the Aston Villa Foundation for this hugely successful event, and so grateful to John Gregory, George Boateng and everyone for joining us at Villa Park.
"For us, it's really important as a group that we also champion the British South Asians that are in football. We want to push them, encourage them and raise their profile to help them inspire the next generation.
"Aston Villa have been incredibly supportive of our efforts as a fans' group and we want to build on our relationship with the club for the long-term."
The event was attended by a number of influential British South Asians in football including the FA's Dal Darroch, Riz Rehman from the PFA, representatives from the Fans for Diversity campaign, and England para talent technical coach Jasbir Batt.
Informal discussions took place around the future for British South Asians in the game, amid growing calls for more action to improve access and pathways for a community that remains heavily under-represented in the sport.
Batt told Sky Sports News: "The barriers that face British South Asians in sport have been laid bare over the last 12 months - from Greg Clarke's appalling comments about South Asians that forced him to step down as FA chair, to the details that have emerged about the horrific treatment suffered by cricketer Azeem Rafiq.
"Football has so much work to do in terms of British South Asian inclusion at different levels of the game, and that's why it is brilliant to see Aston Villa Football Club uniting behind this initiative that has brought so many people from all backgrounds together to celebrate positive success stories at a very auspicious time of year."
Meanwhile, former Aston Villa defender Neil Taylor has joined Middlesbrough on a short-term deal.
The 32-year-old left Villa Park following the expiry of his contract at the end of last season after making more than 100 appearances across three and a half years.
Left-back Taylor, whose mother is Indian, is one of just five British South Asian players ever to have played in the Premier League.
Middlesbrough boss Chris Wilder said: "Looking at the market we're in at this particular time it's a great one for us.
"He adds balance and competition to Marc Bola which is desperately needed. Neil's a player of pedigree with a great attitude. I think it's a smart bit of business until the middle of January then we can go from there."
West Brom hosted the Panjab FA for a national team training camp at the club's Academy Dome on Sunday.
Amar and Arjun Singh Purewal - who made history last season as the first British South Asian brothers to line up against each other under the arch in a Wembley Cup final - were among the players at the camp led by head coach Manraj Singh Sucha.
Albion Foundation head of operations Shin Aujla told Sky Sports News: "Hosting the Panjab FA for a training camp is a matter of huge pride for the football club and The Albion Foundation.
"As part of our EDI strategy we want to support and showcase South Asian talent within the game and provide opportunities for under-represented groups to thrive. Our club is in the heart of the South Asian community and we are excited about what we can all achieve together in the years to come."
The Panjab FA is recognised as a CONIFA (Confederation of Independent Football Associations) nation and were runners-up in the 2016 CONIFA World Cup final.
They took on Liverpool U23s at the Reds' Kirkby training base in 2018, and also became the first South Asian side to take on an England representative XI when they lost 2-1 in a tight game against the England C non-league team at Solihull Moors in 2017.
Tottenham's Dilan Markanday capped a memorable month by landing the Premier League 2 Player award for October.
The Barnet-born attacking midfielder entered the record books during the month by coming off the bench in the Europa League Conference game at Vitesse to become the first British South Asian player in Tottenham's 139-year history.
Markanday also scored four goals in four Premier League 2 games in October, including an injury-time winner against Manchester United.
The 20-year-old has 10 goals and two assists to his name in 10 PL games so far this campaign.
England face the prospect of missing out on Manchester United teenager Zidane Iqbal, with Iraqi football chiefs keen to secure the teenager's services at senior international level, Sky Sports News can reveal.
The attacking midfielder was called up to play for the Iraqi U23 side at last month's WAFF (West Asian Football Federation) Championship, helping them reach the semi-finals before their elimination to Saudi Arabia. Iqbal also featured against United Arab Emirates, and took the captain's armband before scoring against Lebanon.
Manchester-born Iqbal is eligible to represent England, Iraq and Pakistan but has yet to be called up to an England age-group squad, despite spending more than a decade with United and establishing himself as a regular member of United's U23 squad.
The 18-year-old netted for the club's youngsters against Sunderland in the EFL Trophy last month, and followed that up by scoring United's opener in their 4-2 UEFA Youth League win against Italian side Atalanta.
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