Welcome to Dev's Digest, the Sky Sports column where Asian Football Award winner Dev Trehan shares exclusive updates and reflects 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 second half of the World Cup unfolded alongside South Asian Heritage Month in the United Kingdom, providing a perfect backdrop to celebrate two pioneering figures who appeared live on Sky Sports News. Our long‑standing transfers specialist Dharmesh Sheth, a fixture on the channel for more than two decades and a trailblazer for under‑represented voices in sports media, was joined by New Zealand international Sarpreet Singh.
Singh, fresh from completing a move to Portuguese side Farense, made history at the 2026 World Cup by becoming the first player 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 play at a World Cup. The support I receive from fans around the globe is overwhelming, and I see this as a huge honour.
I embrace the challenges that come with it and aim to represent my community and everyone who backs me to the best of my ability." Singh grew up idolising Didier Drogba, staying up late in New Zealand to watch the Chelsea legend on television. Although he never faced Drogba on the pitch, Singh did line up against England in a pre‑World Cup friendly in Tampa, sharing the field with Harry Kane and Marcus Rashford – players he had watched on Premier League broadcasts 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. There was even a tantalising what‑if scenario: 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 with the German giants. He featured in the 2019 Audi Cup final against Tottenham and made his Bundesliga debut later that year.
"Being at Bayern was surreal. Training with 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 was teammates with Alphonso Davies and Joshua Zirkzee – we were all friends," Singh said. In other news, a British‑Indian investment consortium led by former QPR co‑owner and millionaire Amit Bhatia has signalled interest in acquiring a minority stake in Liverpool FC.
Fenway Sports Group, Liverpool’s owners, confirmed the approach on the same day Bhatia stepped down from the QPR board after an 18‑year involvement, transferring his share to majority owner Ruben Gnanalingam. A spokesperson for FSG stated, "A consortium led, managed and represented by Amit Bhatia has expressed interest in making a strategic minority investment in Liverpool Football Club." Sky News later revealed that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has also been approached to join the consortium.
No agreement has been reached yet; discussions are still in the early stages. FSG purchased Liverpool in 2010 for £300 million, and recent Forbes valuations place the club at roughly £4.6 billion. Bhatia’s departure from QPR was announced on Tuesday. He described the club as "a deeply important part of my life and my family’s life," noting his tenure as vice‑chairman before becoming chairman in 2018, a role he held for five years.
Bhatia is married into the Mittal family; his father‑in‑law Lakshmi Mittal heads the steel and mining conglomerate ArcelorMittal and is estimated to be worth £23.2 billion. This month also saw the release of our fourth annual British South Asians in Football Team of the Season, compiled in partnership with DesiBallers. The list remains the only yearly initiative that recognises the on‑field contributions of British South Asians.
Several players have returned to action: Hamza Choudhury, Leicester City’s longest‑serving squad member, captained the Foxes during pre‑season; Jas Singh reclaimed the goalkeeper’s gloves for Tamworth; and 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 back in favour at Utrecht and featured in their pre‑season matches. Dilan Markanday has rejoined Chesterfield and is taking part in 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.
Pakistan international Zahmena Malik is set to sign for Actonians, an independent women’s side that competes in the top four tiers of English women’s football alongside Liverpool Feds and London City Lionesses. Malik, an east‑London native, played for Cypriot top‑division side Lakatamia last season and has previously turned out for Leyton Orient, London Seaward and Saudi club Al‑Hmmah. She was part of the first Pakistan women’s team to compete in a FIFA tournament, scoring in an 8‑0 win over the Turks and Caicos Islands and netting Pakistan’s inaugural goal in an Olympic qualifier against Tajikistan in 2023. Birmingham City pioneer Riya Mannu is poised to join West Bromwich Albion.
The 19‑year‑old helped Birmingham win promotion to the Women’s Super League last season and impressed during a dual‑registration loan at West Brom, scoring on her full debut. Mannu made history in 2024 as the first British South Asian to play league football for Birmingham City Women and was named the club’s Professional Game Academy Player of the Season. In a surprising twist, West Ham’s record Premier League scorer Michail Antonio appeared in a Sikh football tournament final in Leicester, playing for Singh Sabha Slough in the Over‑35s final against Punjab United Sports Wolverhampton. Antonio, who recovered from a broken leg after a Ferrari crash in December 2024, delivered a spectacular performance: he scored a stunning goal, provided an assist and even missed a penalty.
Despite the team’s 2‑0 victory, the trophy was forfeited because Antonio had not been officially registered. Guest player Danny Barham praised Antonio, saying, "He travelled from London at 7 am to make the 10 am kick‑off.
He was the nicest person I’ve ever met. The opposition tried to block his participation, so Singh Sabha Slough withdrew to let him play. He struck a world‑class goal from outside the box, reminiscent of Ronaldinho’s famous strike against Chelsea, and set up the second goal.
You could see why he is a professional – there was no attitude, just pure enjoyment of the game." The match was officiated by Jarnail Singh, the only turbaned Sikh ever to referee 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. Michail was a humble, smiling lad playing for fun.
The crowd loved seeing him, and he stayed after the game to take photos with everyone," Singh told Sky Sports News. For additional stories, features and video content, visit the groundbreaking South Asians in Football page on skysports.com and stay tuned to Sky Sports News and its digital platforms. Play Super 6 for a chance to win £250 k – entry is free.