Two Indians make debut for English clubs

Supporters of South Asian football have been celebrating after two Indian players made their debuts for top level Newcastle United and Bradford City.

Indian faces have been conspicuously lacking in prominent English football clubs and the performance of visiting Indian players, such as skipper Baichung Bhutia, has been less than inspiring.

If former Indian cricket captain Tiger Pataudi is to be believed, Indians lack the temperament for a sport where he says pushing and jostling is alien to the national character.

Among those who intend to prove Pataudi wrong is teenage striker Michael Chopra, who appeared for the first time for Premier League giants Newcastle in the Worthington Cup earlier this month.

Eighteen-year-old Chopra was called on as a substitute and missed a penalty as his team lost in a thrilling last-minute penalty shoot-out.

Chopra is now agonisingly close to becoming the first British Asian ever to play in the Premier League, the highest level in English football.

Better known fellow-forward Harpal Singh became the first British Asian to play one level below when he made his debut for First Division side Bradford. The 21-year-old Singh is currently on loan from his home Premier League team Leeds United, where he has been selected several times as a substitute, but has yet to make the first team.

He performed well for Bradford a week ago last Saturday, but they lost 5-3 at home to Wimbledon. Afterwards Singh commented, "This is a big step for me. It is very important for my future that I can prove myself capable of handling the pressure at this level.

"My aim is to do well enough to prove I can do a job in the Premiership. I want to impress the people of Leeds while at the same time do a good job for Bradford City."

The absence of Indian players in English professional football has been the subject of comment among sports analysts in the UK and, Pataudi's comments notwithstanding, no one has as yet been able to explain the phenomenon.

As Chopra and Singh are the only Indians signed professionally to Premiership clubs, they attract more than their fair share of media interest, since they are widely expected to be the first to break through at the highest level.

All too aware of the public interest in him, Singh says, "I have always felt very proud about being one of the first Asian footballers to break through into the game.

"Bradford has a large Asian community and it is special for me to play for them.

"I hope that I can be an influence to others and encourage more Asian people to start playing the game. Maybe, with me breaking through, it could open up things a little for others.

"I think clubs have to get the players involved at an early age. I started playing at Leeds when I was 10 and football is a way of life to me now."