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| The Long Wait: Britain has yet to produce an international footballer of Asian origins. France developed Vikash Dhorasoo – a player who represented them in the World Cup final in 2006 – without a significant Asian talent pool to draw on. Nervertheless, former professional footballer and current FA coach Noel Blake sees no reason to worry.
“You’ve mentioned one in France,” said Blake. “How big is France? France has produced a lot of African and Caribbean players, yet it has taken a while for that to happen in the England team. It doesn’t happen overnight. It’s taken a long, long time. The first black player to play for England was in 1978 – Viv Anderson – and that’s only recent.” This was almost a century after Arthur Wharton became the first black professional footballer in England. He was eligible to represent England in the 1880s, but despite his claims being pressed in the north-east Wharton was never seriously considered for international recognition. However, his contemporary Andrew Watson played for Scotland in the 1880s.
It would be unthinkable for an England squad not to have a black face in it now and they all came through on merit. Blake thinks that Asian origin players will also come through naturally in time. “My point is it does take time to develop these players,” said Blake. “It’s the same with players from wherever you are from, whatever your culture is. If you want it badly enough and are prepared to put the work in – ability and dedication go hand in hand.”
So when will it happen? “I wouldn’t know,” Blake told us. “I couldn’t put a timescale on it. I wouldn’t know what generation. What I’m saying to you is there a number of Asian players within football clubs. Sometimes it takes longer than we would like, but I think like I said before, it’s a two-way process – one the players of whatever culture have got to want to do it. They’ve got to have the ability and dedication.”
Blake is not convinced that racism is the explanation either. “People talk about racism in the game and this and that in the game, well is it there?” he asks before answering his own question. “I don’t know. Is it not there? I don’t know. I’m not going to go down that route. I have my views, my personal views, but I think ultimately, if you put yourselves out – you dedicate yourself – no matter what your culture is the opportunity’s there for you.” Yet other European nations have left Britain lagging far behind.
The Foreign Model: Britain has a vibrant Asian community, far larger than the Netherlands, Spain and France, yet those countries have all developed top quality Asian origin players. Dutch teams have boasted the talents of Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Roy Makaay for example, both of whom have Asian origins. South Moluccans consist of less than one percent of the population of the Netherlands, yet van Bronckhorst is just the best known of many to have worn the famous orange shirt.
The Indonesian population is larger, but again has punched above their weight. Makaay is possibly the best known of them, at least outside the Netherlands. The Dutch seem to have no problem bringing Asian-origin players through, even though neither Indonesia nor the South Moluccan Islands have any footballing tradition or culture.
Even Spain has achieved it with a negligible Asian talent pool to recruit from. Valencia’s attacking midfielder David Josué Jiménez Silva has Asian heritage too. He is a European Championship winner. |
