Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Dilan Markanday to British south Asian players: If you’re good enough, you can make it

Having been spotted at the grassroots level, Markanday was at Tottenham Hotspur from the age of 12.

Dilan Markanday to British south Asian players: If you’re good enough, you can make it

THE first British south Asian to play for Tottenham Hotspur, Dilan Markanday has urged south Asian players to believe that it’s possible to reach the top and create their own opportunities with their abilities, according to a report.

He was speaking to 70 local schoolchildren and their families at the Rovers Community Trust’s Emerging South Asian Rovers talent ID day at the club’s Brockhall Village Academy.


“The best advice I would give is probably just to believe. If you’re good enough, then you can make it. Don’t think that there’s anything against you because you’re south Asian. It’s not about racism, it’s about creating opportunity," Markanday, the Blackburn Rovers winger, was quoted as saying by The Times.

“It’s not just about making it here, making it in this career, you can go to other clubs. You see many stories of amazing players who have been released and have come back. It’s just about the kids and the parents understanding opportunities.”

The 20-year-old winger added that he is passionate about achieving better representation — as well as kick-starting his Rovers career after last season’s injury problems. He also spoke about the PFA’s Asian Inclusion Mentoring Scheme (AIMS).

Having been spotted at the grassroots level, Markanday was at Tottenham Hotspur from the age of 12. Having signed for Blackburn after leaving Spurs in January, Markanday sustained a hamstring injury on his debut in the 2-0 defeat at Hull City, which required surgery and kept him out for four months. His former manager Tony Mowbray, who left the club at the end of the season, was vital in Markanday’s recovery.

After his move to Rovers, fellow British Asian footballers Arjan Raikhy, of Aston Villa, Zidane Iqbal, of Manchester United, and Ross County’s Yann Dhanda were among those to congratulate Markanday.

According to Markanday, he had the right support network during the initial days.

“My dad and my mum taking me to train even when I don’t want to go, stuff like that has helped me be here today, so I can’t thank them enough. Hopefully, the families here can see that as well," he told The Times.

“I’ve always been hard-working in school. I did my GCSEs and my parents have always made sure that I do well in my education first because that’s important. Having that foundation, my parents always made sure that this opportunity wouldn’t just pass me by."

He quickly processed that he was training with players whom he had previously looked up to, and would tap into their collective footballing knowledge.

Riz Rehman, the PFA player inclusion executive who set up AIMS last year, has gathered data on south Asian academy-level representation. Out of the 46 academies, he discovered that 103 scholars and academy players were of south Asian heritage, a statistic he wants to see an increase.

Both Rehman and Stuart Jones, Blackburn’s head of the academy, detailed to parents about the requirements for admission to their academy. Training three times a week with a game at weekends is the commitment.

Markanday, who admires Lionel Messi, Arjen Robben and Eden Hazard, has said that now his focus is to impress the new head coach, Jon Dahl Tomasson.

More For You

Jameela Jamil: Pixar’s Elio Offers Hope for Youth

Jameela Jamil says Pixar’s Elio brings a fresh message of empowerment for kids across the globe

Getty Images

Jameela Jamil says Pixar’s ‘Elio’ is the hope young people need in a chaotic world

At a time when the world feels chaotic and heavy, Disney Pixar’s Elio arrives with a message that couldn’t be more relevant: kids matter, and they’re stronger than they realise.

The animated film, which had its star-studded premiere in Los Angeles this week, follows an 11-year-old boy who accidentally becomes Earth’s ambassador in outer space. Directed by Madeline Sharafian and Domee Shi, Elio is Pixar’s first feature with a Mexican-Dominican lead, voiced by Yonas Kibreab. His character’s journey from an outsider on Earth to a confident connector among aliens mirrors what many young people feel today: lost, overlooked, and searching for belonging.

Keep ReadingShow less
Apple India Reroutes 97% of iPhones to US Amid Tariff Push

Apple iPhones are seen inside India's first Apple retail store in Mumbai, India, April 17, 2023.

REUTERS

Foxconn sends 97 per cent of India iPhone exports to US amid tariff push

NEARLY all iPhones exported by Foxconn from India between March and May were shipped to the United States, according to customs data reviewed by Reuters.

The data showed that 97 per cent of Foxconn’s iPhone exports during this period went to the US, significantly higher than the 2024 average of 50.3 per cent.

Keep ReadingShow less
Child Fame Costs: HBO’s New Young Harry Potter Reboot Stars

The new trio cast as Harry, Hermione and Ron step into a world where childhood and fame rarely mix well

Instagram/harrypotter/Getty Images

From Hogwarts to headlines, the real cost of childhood fame for Harry Potter’s new stars

As HBO prepares to bring Harry Potter back to screens with a new television adaptation, excitement is high around the casting of Dominic McLaughlin, Arabella Stanton, and Alastair Stout as the iconic trio of Harry, Hermione, and Ron. But amid the buzz, a quiet voice of caution has emerged. Chris Watson, father of original Hermione actress Emma Watson, is urging parents and the industry to tread carefully when it comes to child stardom.

Chris Watson is not speaking as a critic or industry insider but as someone who watched his daughter grow up inside a global franchise. Emma was nine when she landed the role of Hermione Granger, and what followed was a decade of public attention that reshaped her life. Her father remembers the shift vividly. “Her homework would go back to school on motorbikes,” he once said, pointing to the surreal logistics fame forced on them.

Keep ReadingShow less
Thunderstorms to Hit East & South-East England; Met Office

The warning indicates a high risk of disruption

Getty Images

Thunderstorms to hit East and South-East England as Met Office issues amber warning

The Met Office has issued an amber weather warning for thunderstorms across parts of eastern and south-eastern England, in effect from 20:00 BST on Friday to 05:00 on Saturday. The affected area spans from Eastbourne in East Sussex to Cromer in north Norfolk.

The warning indicates a high risk of disruption, with flash flooding, power cuts, and hazardous travel conditions expected. The Met Office warns that flooding of homes and businesses is likely, and delays or cancellations to bus and rail services are possible due to surface water and lightning strikes.

Keep ReadingShow less
Crime boss who posed as male escort jailed for £20m cocaine plot

Shergill and his accomplices were arrested on different dates in 2020

Photo for representation (iStock)

Crime boss who posed as male escort jailed for £20m cocaine plot

THE head of an organised crime group who claimed he was a male escort while masterminding an international operation to import cocaine into the UK has been sentenced to 21 years and three months in jail.

Kulvir Shergill, 43, from the West Midlands, told National Crime Agency (NCA) investigators he made a living through male escort bookings, teaching martial arts and working as a personal trainer.

Keep ReadingShow less