South Asians in Soccer Weekly: Arjan Raikhy scores screamer, Hamza Choudhury captains Leicester, Odisha FC’s Raj Athwal visits Parliament | Soccer Information

The most recent version of South Asians in Soccer Weekly is out after one other productive week for the neighborhood within the Lovely Sport…

Arjan Raikhy opened his Leicester Metropolis account in type with the opening objective of the sport in final week’s Papa Johns Trophy conflict with Wigan.

The Sikh-Punjabi wonderkid, who Sky Sports activities Information revealed was becoming a member of the Foxes after leaving Aston Villa in the summertime, scored a screamer on the half-hour mark, drilling into the highest left nook from 25 yards earlier than Leicester’s U21s fell aside and went on to lose 7-1.

Raikhy shot to prominence after a surprise objective towards Chelsea for Villa’s U18s again in November 2020.

The technically-gifted midfielder made his senior first-team debut simply two months later in an FA Cup third-round tie towards Liverpool, a second described by supporters’ group Punjabi Villans as “unbelievable”.

The central midfielder loved one other productive marketing campaign the next season as he earned the excellence of serving to two groups – Stockport County and Grimsby City – get promoted again to the Soccer League throughout two separate mortgage spells.

Raikhy attended the South Asian Heritage Month pleasant between Sporting Khalsa and Punjab United earlier this summer season previous to finishing a transfer to the Foxes.

Academy graduate Hamza Choudhury proudly captained Leicester for the primary time below Enzo Maresca towards Norwich the next night time.

Choudhury, who featured in a first-of-its-kind South Asians in Soccer Workforce of the Season and is the one British-Bangladeshi to have performed within the Premier League, stuffed in at right-back within the absence of Ricardo Pereira for Maresca’s Championship table-toppers.

The Loughborough-born former academy captain put in a stellar show to assist Leicester earn a convincing 2-0 win at Carrow Highway to take care of their 100 per cent league document away from residence.

Explaining his determination to call 25-year-old Choudhury captain for the conflict with Norwich, Maresca stated: “He is one of many academy gamers. He was born right here.

“Additionally in the way in which he works and we are attempting to offer a few of them duty.

“Hamza isn’t on this second an academy participant becoming a member of the primary group. Completely not.

“Now he is within the first group and he has to indicate duty and management.”

Odisha FC president Raj Athwal visited the Homes of Parliament final week earlier than jetting off to India for the beginning of the Indian Tremendous League season.

Athwal and the Odisha Authorities have been hosted by Baroness Verma within the Home of Lords for discussions about South Asians in Soccer, and alternatives centred round commerce and company social duty.

Aqsa Mushtaq is ready for a return to membership soccer in Greece, Sky Sports activities Information understands.

The attacker, who options within the first timeline documenting the historical past of South Asian heritage gamers within the fashionable girls’s recreation, spent the second half of the marketing campaign at Championship facet Lewes FC.

Mushtaq has beforehand performed within the Greek high division for Avantes Chalkida, profitable the Most Beneficial Participant Award with the Crete-based facet final yr.

Mushtaq is a graduate of Lenoir-Rhyne College the place she scored 13 targets in 17 matches in her closing season on the North Carolina-based faculty.

In 2019, Mushtaq was named South Atlantic Convention Participant of the Yr, serving to her safe a transfer to Napoli, the place she grew to become the primary participant of Pakistani heritage to hitch a girls’s group enjoying in Italy’s high division.

Michael Chopra was again on Sky Sports activities Information final week as he joined Newcastle followers in Milan forward of their Champions League conflict with AC Milan.

Chopra was a part of the Newcastle squad that final performed within the Champions League some 21 years in the past and joined supporters on a day to recollect forward of a 0-0 draw and some extent gained at San Siro.

Ali Zafar’s wondergoal helped Scottish soccer trailblazer Shadab Iftikhar get off to a profitable begin as Pakistan U19s head coach.

Zafar’s 35-yard strike gave Pakistan a 1-0 win over Nepal of their first match on the U19 South Asian Soccer Federation Championship.

Shah Jahan scored a late equaliser in Pakistan’s second recreation of the competitors to clinch a 1-1 draw towards Maldives, reserving a semi-final place for Iftikhar’s boys.

Iftikhar grew to become the primary British South Asian ever to handle in senior Scottish soccer when he took on a six-month spell at Scottish Highland League facet Fort William, ending in Could final yr.

London Seaward attacker Zahmena Malik has additionally been again in worldwide motion with Pakistan during the last week.

Malik helped Pakistan earn a goalless draw of their pleasant event opener towards Malaysia, earlier than then happening to play of their second recreation, which noticed Pakistan slip to a 1-0 defeat to host nation Saudi Arabia.

In the meantime, Manchester United stopper Safia Middleton-Patel was a part of the Wales squad for the nation’s first Girls’s Nations League match.

Middleton-Patel, who turned 19 final week, was an unused substitute in Wales’ 1-0 defeat away to Iceland.

British South Asians in Soccer

For extra tales, options and movies, go to our groundbreaking South Asians in Soccer web page on skysports.com and South Asians within the Sport weblog and keep tuned to Sky Sports activities Information and our Sky Sports activities digital platforms