British South Asians in soccer: Who makes it into the 2023/24 Staff of the Season? | Soccer Information

It has been one other breakthrough marketing campaign for British South Asians in soccer however who makes it into the 2023/24 Staff of the Season?

Gamers from the group featured at each degree of the English ladies’s soccer pyramid and throughout each division within the males’s recreation apart from the Premier League.

Six gamers retain their locations from final yr, however how does the 2023/24 squad form up?

Sky Sports activities journalist and FA Degree 2 scout Dev Trehan sat down with Desi Ballers founder Zohaib Rashid to select the second annual South Asians in Soccer Staff of the Season.

Goalkeeper

Jaz Singh loved one of the best marketing campaign of his profession after a record-breaking season the place he helped Tamworth go as much as the Nationwide League as champions with their second successive promotion.

Singh saved an astonishing 25 clear sheets and at one stage went greater than 15 hours (905 minutes) with out conceding a objective – essentially the most minutes performed by a goalkeeper with out conceding a objective in 91 years of Tamworth membership historical past.

Defenders

Asmita Ale had one other productive season the place she featured for each Tottenham and Leicester Metropolis within the Girls’s Tremendous League.

Ale, who’s the primary Nepali-heritage participant to signal knowledgeable contract in English soccer, performed in Leicester’s Girls’s FA Cup victory in opposition to Birmingham Metropolis, earlier than that includes within the quarter-final win in opposition to Liverpool to assist The Foxes attain the final 4 for the primary time of their historical past.

Pakistan skipper Easah Suliman captains the 2023/24 South Asians in Soccer Staff of the Season after a strong marketing campaign within the Azerbaijan Premier League for Sumgayit FK.

The Birmingham-born centre-back scored 4 objectives for his membership and made 9 appearances at worldwide degree – together with captaining his nation within the away leg of their first-ever World Cup qualifying win, which got here in opposition to Cambodia final October.

Simranjit Singh Thandi emerged as an actual defensive stalwart for Doxa Katokopias since becoming a member of the Cypriot top-division aspect in January for the second half of the 2023/24 season.

Thandi began 16 of the 18 matches he featured in, taking part in throughout the again line in a season the place he reached a century of senior profession appearances.

Mal Benning performed a few of the greatest soccer of his profession in 2024 after becoming a member of Shrewsbury City, a yr on from his play-off last heroics with Port Vale.

Benning, who just lately penned a two-year contract extension, was recognised with back-to-back Participant of the Month awards in January and February, with the full-back additionally touchdown Shrewsbury City Basis’s Group Participant of the Season award.

Midifielders

Hamza Choudhury loved a powerful marketing campaign after returning to Leicester and signing a brand new contract following a profitable mortgage at Watford the earlier season.

The British-Bangladeshi midfielder featured in 33 matches final time period, captaining the aspect on a number of events and infrequently taking part in as an inverted right-back, as Leicester Metropolis gained the title to safe a direct return to the Premier League.

Millie Chandarana was ever-present in one of the best season of her profession thus far. The midfielder helped Blackburn Rovers break a number of membership data within the FA Girls’s Championship, together with occurring their longest unbeaten run and reaching their highest-ever factors haul.

Chandarana’s jaw-dropping strike in opposition to Charlton Athletic additionally noticed her land her crew’s Objective of the Season award for the second yr in a row.

Zidane Iqbal traded Manchester United for Dutch Eredivisie aspect FC Utrecht final summer time, and the Pakistani-heritage midfielder loved a breakout season in his first full marketing campaign in senior soccer.

Iqbal impressed away at Feyenoord, managed final time period by new Liverpool boss Arne Slot, making 29 appearances for membership and nation over the course of the season, together with scoring his first worldwide objective for Iraq.

Attackers

Yan Dhanda’s affect at Ross County was plain, with the 25-year-old standing in as captain on a number of events, together with for the Staggies’ go to to Celtic in January.

Dhanda scored probably the greatest objectives of his profession earlier within the marketing campaign, with a shocking free-kick in opposition to Hearts at Tynecastle Park. The attacking midfielder scored three objectives and obtained two assists in his final 4 Ross County video games forward of a transfer to Hearts in the summertime.

Amar Purewal leads the road after an unbelievable season the place he captained Hebburn City and fired them into Step 3 of the Nationwide League system for the primary time of their historical past.

Purewal was ever-present and scored 30 league objectives to land the divisional Golden Boot award as Hebburn City gained the title and earned promotion to the Northern League Premier Division.

Aqsa Mushtaq continued to blaze a path in Europe, consolidating her fame as probably the greatest gamers within the Greek League after a shocking season with OFI Crete.

Bradford-born Mushtaq, who options in the primary timeline documenting the historical past of South Asian heritage gamers within the trendy ladies’s recreation, helped OFI to a second-placed end behind all-conquering PAOK, scoring 10 league objectives and contributing eight assists.

The Squad

Rohan Luthra is within the squad after having fun with a shocking first half of the season throughout a mortgage at Slough City, which included a run of seven clear sheets in 9 video games and serving to the Rebels attain the FA Cup first spherical.

Bivesh Gurung is included after a superb season the place he amassed 37 appearances and scored a fairytale winner in opposition to Barrow to assist Maidstone United to the FA Cup third spherical for the primary time because the membership was reformed within the mid-90s.

Kira Rai earns her spot within the squad after serving to Derby County Girls make historical past because the Ewe Rams gained the membership’s first-ever nationwide trophy. Rai, who wears shirt quantity 15, is in her fifteenth yr on the membership.

Adil Nabi is in after a blistering finish to the season with 4 key objective contributions in his final 4 video games for Doxa Katokopias. Nabi noticed a sensational effort direct from a nook go down as an personal objective, earlier than netting three objectives in Doxa’s final three video games.

Brandon Khela can be in after making historical past alongside Yan Dhanda when Ross County turned the primary SPFL aspect ever to start out two British South Asians in a Scottish Premiership recreation. The Birmingham Metropolis teen scored the primary objective of his senior profession within the last recreation of the season to finish his Ross County mortgage on a excessive.

Dillon De Silva is included after impressing at Torquay United earlier than incomes a transfer up a division to Nationwide League aspect Wealdstone. The winger additionally scored on the worldwide stage for Sri Lanka in a 2-0 win in opposition to Bhutan on this yr’s inaugural FIFA Sequence.

Riya Mannu makes the reduce after an unforgettable season because the 17-year-old wonderkid turned the primary British South Asian ever to play league soccer for Birmingham Metropolis Girls. Mannu was additionally named because the Birmingham’s academy participant of the season.

Dilan Markanday earns a spot after making 27 appearances for Blackburn Rovers in all competitions final season. Markanday scored two objectives in three EFL Cup begins, earlier than Rovers exited the competitors with a 2-0 loss at Chelsea.

Tarryn Allarakhia secures his place after making historical past as he turned the primary British South Asian to play at an Africa Cup of Nations within the trendy period. The Tanzania winger additionally turned the first Wealdstone FC footballer ever to characteristic at a Cup of Nations.

Simran Jhamat is in after ending the season as West Brom Girls’s prime goalscorer in all competitions, with Nathan Minhas rounding off the squad after a sensational season the place he scored 17 objectives for Slough City.

British South Asians in Soccer

For extra tales, options and movies, go to our ground-breaking South Asians in Soccer web page on skysports.com and keep tuned to Sky Sports activities Information and our Sky Sports activities digital platforms.