Welcome to Dev's Digest, the Sky Sports column where Asian Football Award laureate Dev Trehan shares breaking stories and thoughtful commentary on the most important moments for British South Asians in the beautiful game. For the best viewing experience, we recommend using the Chrome browser to access the embedded video player.
The latter half of the World Cup overlapped with the launch of South Asian Heritage Month across the United Kingdom, providing a perfect backdrop to spotlight two pioneering figures who appeared live on Sky Sports News. Our long‑standing transfers specialist Dharmesh Sheth, a familiar face on the channel for over two decades and a key advocate for greater representation of minority groups in sports journalism, was joined on set by New Zealand international striker Sarpreet Singh.
Singh, who has recently completed a transfer to Portuguese outfit Farense, made history at the 2026 World Cup by becoming the first player of Indian heritage 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 the presenters.
"I feel privileged to be the first Indian and the first Punjabi to feature at a World Cup. The support I receive from people all over the world is overwhelming, and I see it as a huge responsibility that I gladly accept.
I want to represent my community and everyone who believes in me to the best of my ability." Singh grew up idolising Ivorian legend Didier Drogba. He would often stay up late in New Zealand, watching the former Chelsea star’s highlights on television.
Although he never had the chance to line up against Drogba, Singh did experience a similar thrill when he faced England in a pre‑World Cup friendly in Tampa, playing against the Three Lions. "Running onto the pitch against the likes of Harry Kane and Marcus Rashford – players I had watched for years in the Premier League – was a dream come true. I just wanted to give my all for my country," Singh recalled. There was even a tantalising "what‑if" scenario earlier in his career: 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 secured his signature, and he spent four seasons with the Bavarian giants. "It was surreal," Singh said of his time at Bayern. "I debuted in the Bundesliga after playing in the Audi Cup final against Tottenham in 2019. Being surrounded by a club of that stature, learning from the best every day, was an education in itself.
Hansi Flick was the manager then, and I shared the locker room with talents like Alphonso Davies and Joshua Zirkzee – we were all friends." Across the other side of the footballing world, a consortium led by British‑Indian entrepreneur and former QPR co‑owner Amit Bhatia announced its intention to acquire a minority shareholding in Liverpool FC. The move was confirmed on the same day Bhatia stepped down from QPR’s board, ending an 18‑year involvement after transferring his stake to majority owner Ruben Gnanalingam. A spokesperson for Liverpool’s owners, Fenway Sports Group, said: "A consortium headed, managed and represented by Amit Bhatia has expressed interest in making a strategic minority investment in Liverpool Football Club." Subsequent reports indicated that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has also been approached to join the group. No definitive agreement has been reached; discussions are still in the very early stages.
For context, FSG bought Liverpool in 2010 for roughly £300 million, and a recent Forbes valuation placed the club at about £4.6 billion. Bhatia’s departure from QPR was described as emotional. He stated that the club had been "a deeply important part of my life and my family’s life".
He had served as vice‑chairman before becoming chairman in 2018, a position he held for five years. Amit is also the son‑in‑law of Lakshmi Mittal, a senior executive at the steel and mining conglomerate ArcelorMittal, which is worth an estimated £23.2 billion.
In other news, 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 effort that recognises the on‑field contributions of British South Asian players. Several members of this year’s squad have returned to competitive action.
Leicester City’s longest‑serving player, Hamza Choudhury, captained the Foxes throughout pre‑season. Goalkeeper Jas Singh has been back between the sticks for Tamworth, while striker Kam Kandola started every pre‑season fixture for Hereford after joining over the summer.
Zidane Iqbal, fresh from becoming the first British South Asian to appear at a World Cup, is enjoying a resurgence at Utrecht and has featured in the Dutch club’s pre‑season matches. Dilan Markanday is back with Chesterfield, taking part in their tour of Ireland, and Yan Dhanda has re‑joined Hearts after a loan spell at Dundee. Dhanda appeared in every pre‑season game and will be hoping to feature in Hearts’ Champions League second‑leg qualifier against Sturm Graz.
Pakistan international forward Zahmena Malik is on the verge of signing for Actonians, a rare independent women’s side that competes in the top four tiers of English women’s football alongside Liverpool Feds and the London City Lionesses. Malik, an east‑London native, previously played for Cypriot top‑flight club Lakatamia and has also turned out for Leyton Orient, London Seaward, and Saudi side Al‑Hmmah. She was part of the pioneering Pakistan women’s squad that took part in a FIFA tournament in the Ivory Coast, scoring the opening goal in an 8‑0 win over the Turks and Caicos Islands – a record victory for the Shaheens.
In 2023 she also netted Pakistan’s first ever goal in an Olympic qualifier, a 1‑0 win over Tajikistan. Birmingham City trailblazer Riya Mannu is set to join West Bromwich Albion, according to an exclusive Sky Sports News report.
The 19‑year‑old helped Birmingham secure promotion to the Women’s Super League last season and impressed during a dual‑registration loan at West Brom, scoring on her full‑debut against Rugby Borough. In 2024 she made history by becoming the first British South Asian to play league football for Birmingham City Women, later being named the club’s Professional Game Academy Player of the Season after the U21 side defeated Leicester City 4‑3 in the PGA Cup final. The footballing world was also treated to a surprise cameo earlier this month when West Ham record‑scorer Michail Antonio appeared in the final of a Sikh community tournament in Leicester organised by the Khalsa Football Federation (KFF). The KFF has run tournaments for more than five decades, allowing three non‑South‑Asian players per side.
Antonio, who spent three weeks in hospital after a serious car accident in December 2024, featured for Singh Sabha Slough in the Over‑35s final against Punjab United Sports Wolverhampton. He delighted the crowd with a spectacular goal, an assist, and even a missed penalty. Although his team won 2‑0, the trophy was later forfeited because Antonio had not been officially registered to play. Danny Barham, a guest player alongside Antonio, described the experience: "He joined us through a family connection – his child goes to school with ours – and had to travel from London at 7 am for a 10 am kick‑off.
He was the kindest, most humble person I have ever met. The opposition initially tried to block his participation, so Singh Sabha Slough voluntarily disqualified themselves to let him play. He struck a world‑class volley from outside the box, reminiscent of Ronaldinho’s famous strike against Chelsea, and set up the second goal.
Watching a professional of his calibre on a community pitch was a privilege." The match was overseen by referee Jarnail Singh, the only turbaned Sikh ever to officiate in the English Football League and the father of pioneering officials Sunny Singh Gill and Bhupinder Singh Gill. Jarnail reflected, "I’ve been involved in KFF tournaments since the early ’80s as a player and referee. Michail was a genuinely nice, humble bloke, playing for the love of the game with a huge smile. Fans loved seeing him, and he stayed after the match to take photos with everyone." For additional features, interviews, and video content, visit the groundbreaking South Asians in Football hub on skysports.com and keep an eye on Sky Sports News and the network’s digital platforms.
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