British Asians and Football

In spite of a great passion in the game and significant involvement at amateur level, British Asians are under-represented in professional football. This book asks how and why this situation has developed, using extensive interviews with British Asian football players to offer an insider's assessment of the difficulties and conflicting demands faced every day. In addition, the book also critically examines the work of the anti-racist football movement, questioning the strategies and policies designed to eradicate racism and asking whether other approaches might be more effective or reflective of the views of the players themselves. Ideal for academics and students of the sociology of ethnicity, sport, youth studies or cultural studies, this innovative book will also be of interest to professionals in the field of equal opportunities.

Daniel Burdsey

1. Introduction 2. Myths, Stereotypes and Discourses Surrounding the Exclusion of British Asian Professional Footballers 3. Racial Discrimination and White Privilege in English Football 4. Ethnicity, Hybridity and Cultural Capital 5. Identity, Diaspora and Citizenship 6. British Asians and Anti-Racism in English Football I: Strategies and Symbolism 7. British Asians and Anti-Racism in English Rootball II: Case Studies and Critique 8. Concluding Remarks