England manager Gareth Southgate believes “creative” scouting can help better identify and aid talented players in Asian communities. The Football Association launched the second phase of ‘Bringing Opportunities to Communities’ in 2019, focused on ensuring more people from Asian communities play a bigger part in English football. The governing body is marking South Asian Heritage Month by releasing videos aiming to inspire people within those communities with positive stories from Asian participants across the game. To mark #SouthAsianHeritageMonth, we’ll be highlighting stories from Asian participants across the game ⚽️ Our series starts with professional footballers @mazpacheco & @yandhanda who discuss their journeys, what it means to be an Asian role model, and challenges they've faced. “Historically there’s been a sort of unconscious bias, maybe a perception that some Asian players weren’t as athletic, weren’t as strong.

Source: Express July 27, 2021 13:30 UTC