Former Pakistan international Jimmy Khan has been appointed as a member of the Football Association’s National Game Board.
Khan is the first ex-international footballer from a South Asian background ever to take up such a role.
The Football Association’s National Game Board is a committee of the main FA Board with delegated responsibilities around various parts of the game including participation, player development, administration, and governance.
Khan is a former Blackburn Rovers academy footballer and one of the first overseas-based diaspora players ever to turn out for the Pakistan national side, making his debut for the Shaheens some 35 years ago.
A well-known figure on the Lancashire football scene, Khan played in the North West Counties League for teams including Darwen and Clitheroe, and even had a stint playing club football in Finland.
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Khan is a UEFA A Licence coach, who was elected to the FA Council three years ago.
The news comes at the beginning of South Asian Heritage Month, arriving as the FA has formally advertised the England men’s manager vacancy on its website as the search for Gareth Southgate’s successor continues
Speaking to Sky Sports News last year about his Pakistan debut back in 1989, Khan said: “I remember the heat, struggling to acclimatise, and the whole training camp.
“We didn’t do very much training at the time and I was already an FA Level 2 coach, so I would end up taking a lot of extra sessions where we would practise things like set-pieces.
“I remember the national anthem, but only moments during my debut because it went by so quickly. It was all so surreal and just a wild moment.”
Luthra turns out for Derby County
Former England youth goalkeeper Rohan Luthra featured in Derby County’s friendly against Stockport County at the Pinatar Arena on Friday.
Luthra opted to leave Cardiff City at the end of last season, a little more than a year after making history with the Bluebirds when he became the first British South Asian ever to line up in goal in the top two divisions of English football.
Sky Sports News reported that interest has flooded in for the 6ft 5in Punjabi shot-stopper, but Derby County look set to win the race for his signature, with Luthra expected to sign next week after the Rams return from their pre-season training camp in Spain.
Chandarana: Forest have incredible ambition
Trailblazer Millie Chandarana says she simply could not pass up the opportunity to sign for Nottingham Forest Women.
Chandarana, who is the inaugural recipient of the world’s first South Asians in Football Leadership scholarship, has joined Forest on a one-year contract.
She told Forest’s website: “It’s a fantastic club and I’m excited for the opportunity and can’t wait to get going.
“The ambition the club has is incredible, it’s going in a great direction and I just want to be a part of it.”
Forest Women head coach Carly Davies added: “We are really happy to have Millie at Forest. She is a hard-working midfielder who can break up play and disrupt the flow of the opposition.
“Millie is driven and motivated to support the direction and ambition of the club and we are delighted to have her on board.”
Ale pens three-year Foxes deal
Asmita Ale has signed a three-year deal with Women’s Super League side Leicester City following her departure from Tottenham.
Sky Sports News exclusively revealed that 22-year-old Ale was poised to return to Leicester where she enjoyed a successful loan during the second half of last season.
“I am super pleased to be staying at the club and it was an easy decision for me,” Ale said.
“There is so much opportunity to keep growing here and game-time is important at my age.
“I am already looking forward to next season. I can’t wait to be back out there with the team and show the fans what I can do.
“The club is constantly growing, we have great ambition and I want to be part of that journey.”
OFI Crete: Mushtaq is ‘irreplaceable’
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Aqsa Mushtaq, who features in the first-ever timeline documenting the journey of South Asian heritage female players, looks back on making history as the first player of Pakistani heritage to play professionally in Italy
OFI Crete have described Aqsa Mushtaq as “irreplaceable” after the Bradford-born winger signed a new one-year deal.
The Greek club said: “Aqsa, with her countless experiences abroad, continues to be an irreplaceable part of our team.
“It’s no coincidence that she has been selected in the 2023/24 South Asians in Football Team of the Season on Sky Sports.
“This distinction, which honours male and female footballers of South Asian origin, affirms Aqsa’s unquestionable quality and passion for football.
“We are confident she will continue to impress us and raise the bar high.”
Elsewhere, forward Sanah Mehdi has left Accrington Stanley and joined Chorley FC.
Chorley FC are the UK’s second-oldest women’s football club.
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