Welcome to Dev's Digest, the Sky Sports column where Asian Football Award winner Dev Trehan shares exclusive updates and thoughtful commentary on the most important stories affecting British South Asians in football. For the best viewing experience, we recommend using the Chrome browser to access the video player. The latter half of the World Cup coincided with the launch of South Asian Heritage Month across the United Kingdom, providing a perfect backdrop to celebrate two pioneering figures who appeared together on the Sky Sports News set.
Our long‑standing transfers specialist Dharmesh Sheth, a fixture on Sky Sports News for more than two decades, has been instrumental in opening doors for under‑represented voices within sports media. He was joined on camera by New Zealand international Sarpreet Singh, a player whose recent move to Portuguese side Farense marks another milestone in his rising career.
Singh made history at the 2026 World Cup by becoming the first footballer of Indian descent to start a match in the tournament. "When the squad was announced and I saw my name, it was an incredibly proud moment for me and my family," Singh told Sky Sports News. "I feel privileged to be the first Indian and the first Punjabi to feature at a World Cup. The support I receive from people around the globe is overwhelming, and I see this as a great honour.
I embrace the challenges that come with it and aim to represent my community and all those who back me." The Transfer Centre LIVE is now available on mobile – simply download the Sky Sports app to stay up to date with the latest rumors and confirmed deals. ### A Childhood Dream Realised Growing up, Singh idolised Chelsea legend Didier Drogba, staying up late in New Zealand to watch the Ivorian striker dominate the Premier League.
Although Singh never faced Drogba on the pitch, he did get the chance to line up against England in a pre‑World Cup friendly in Tampa, sharing the field with Harry Kane and Marcus Rashford – two of the Premier League stars he had watched for years. "It was an amazing experience to play against the likes of Kane and Rashford. It felt like another dream come true, but my focus was on doing the best I could for New Zealand," he recalled. Had circumstances been different, Singh might have been a teammate of Kane at club level next season.
After impressing at the 2019 FIFA U‑20 World Cup, Bayern Munich signed him, and he spent four seasons in Germany. "Playing for Bayern was surreal," Singh said. "I featured in the 2019 Audi Cup final against Tottenham and made my Bundesliga debut later that year.
Being around one of the biggest clubs in the world and learning from the best every day was incredible. Hansi Flick was the manager then, and I trained alongside Alphonso Davies and Joshua Zirkzee – we were all friends." ### Investment Interest in Liverpool In other news, a consortium led by British‑Indian billionaire and former QPR co‑owner Amit Bhatia has signalled interest in acquiring a minority stake in Liverpool Football Club. Fenway Sports Group, the current owners, confirmed the approach on the same day Bhatia stepped down from QPR after an 18‑year involvement, transferring his share to majority owner Ruben Gnanalingam. A spokesperson for FSG said, "A consortium led, managed and represented by Amit Bhatia has expressed interest in making a strategic minority investment in Liverpool FC." Sky News later reported that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has also been approached to join the consortium, although no agreement has been reached and discussions remain at an early stage.
FSG purchased Liverpool in 2010 for £300 million; Forbes now values the club at roughly £4.6 billion. Bhatia announced his departure from QPR, describing the club as "a deeply important part of my life and my family’s life." He served as vice‑chairman before becoming chairman in 2018, a role he held for five years. Bhatia is married to the daughter of Lakshmi Mittal, the executive of steel giant ArcelorMittal, whose net worth is estimated at £23.2 billion.
### British South Asian Team of the Season This month marked the publication of our fourth annual British South Asians in Football Team of the Season, produced in partnership with DesiBallers. The initiative remains the sole yearly celebration recognising the on‑field contributions of British South Asians. Several players have returned to action this season: Hamza Choudhury continues as Leicester City’s longest‑serving player and captained the Foxes during pre‑season; goalkeeper Jas Singh is back between the sticks for Tamworth; and Kam Kandola has started every pre‑season fixture for Hereford since joining over the summer. Zidane Iqbal, fresh from becoming the first British South Asian to appear at a World Cup, is regaining form at Utrecht and featured in their pre‑season matches.
Dilan Markanday has re‑joined Chesterfield and is part of their Irish tour, while Yan Dhanda is back with Hearts after a loan spell at Dundee, hoping to feature in the club’s Champions League second‑leg qualifier against Sturm Graz. ### Women’s Game Highlights Pakistan international Zahmena Malik is set to sign for Actonians, one of the few independent women’s clubs still competing in the top four tiers of English women’s football alongside Liverpool Feds and London City Lionesses.
Malik, an east‑London native, played last season in Cyprus’s top division with Lakatamia and has previously turned out for Leyton Orient, London Seaward and Saudi side Al‑Hmmah. She was part of Pakistan’s inaugural women’s squad to compete in a FIFA tournament, scoring the opening goal in an 8‑0 victory over the Turks and Caicos Islands – a record win for The Shaheens – and netting Pakistan’s first ever goal in an Olympic qualifier with a 1‑0 win against Tajikistan in 2023. Birmingham City pioneer Riya Mannu is poised to join West Bromwich Albion. The 19‑year‑old helped Birmingham secure promotion to the Women’s Super League 1 last season and impressed during a dual‑registration loan at West Brom, scoring on her full debut against Rugby Borough.
Mannu made history in 2024 as the first British South Asian to play league football for Birmingham City Women and was later named Professional Game Academy Player of the Season after helping the U21 side defeat Leicester City 4‑3 in the PGA Cup final. ### Michail Antonio’s Surprise Appearance Fans were stunned earlier this month when West Ham’s record Premier League scorer Michail Antonio turned up for a Sikh football tournament final in Leicester, organized by the Khalsa Football Federation (KFF). The KFF has run tournaments for over five decades, allowing each team three non‑South‑Asian players.
Antonio, who recovered from a badly broken leg after a Ferrari crash in Epping Forest in December 2024, featured for Singh Sabha Slough in the Over‑35s final against Punjab United Sports Wolverhampton. He scored a spectacular goal, provided an assist and even missed a penalty, contributing to a 2‑0 victory before the team forfeited the trophy because Antonio had not been officially registered.
Danny Barham, a guest player alongside Antonio, praised the forward’s humility and skill: "He joined us because our kids go to school together, and he travelled from London at 7 am for a 10 am kick‑off. He was the nicest person I’ve ever met. The opposition initially refused to let him play, so Singh Sabha Slough disqualified themselves just to allow him on the pitch. He struck a world‑class volley from outside the box, reminiscent of Ronaldinho’s famous goal against Chelsea, and set up the second tally.
It was clear why he is a professional – there was no attitude, just pure enjoyment of the game." The match was refereed by Jarnail Singh, the only turbaned Sikh ever to officiate in the English Football League and father to pioneering officials Sunny Singh Gill and Bhupinder Singh Gill. "I used to play in KFF tournaments in the early 80s and have been refereeing there for many years," he told Sky Sports News. "Michail was a very humble, smiling bloke playing for the love of the game.
The crowd loved seeing him, and he stayed after the match to take photos with everyone." For more stories, features and video content, explore our groundbreaking South Asians in Football hub on skysports.com and keep following Sky Sports News and our digital platforms. Play Super 6 for a chance to win £250 k – entry is free.