He also stabbed three other workers, leaving them with serious injuries
uae5 hours ago
The 28-year-old began his career at Fulham, where he became the first British Asian to start an English Premier League (EPL) game, before plying his trade in the other three English professional leagues with the likes of Blackpool, Bradford City, Norwich City and Queens Park Rangers.
Rehman, who has represented Pakistan at senior level, has since had a season-long spell in Thailand with Muangthong United and now finds himself at Hong Kong Premier League outfit Kitchee. He is then only too aware of exactly what it takes to carve out a career in the global game as an Asian and firmly believes others can now follow suit in the build-up to the summer showpiece in 10 years’ time.
“I’ve been impressed by the standard of football and there are some very good players in Asia,” the central defender enthused.
“Asia’s time will come because it’s growing rapidly. More and more big names are coming over to the region to grow the leagues and the profile, so — by the time the Qatar World Cup comes around — I don’t think we’ll be discussing this subject anymore.”
Rehman is confident then that full and lasting integration of Asian players into major European leagues will improve significantly in due course, yet — equally — better interaction and representation would enhance those prospects even further.
“I work closely with the PFA (Professional Footballers’ Association) and many governing bodies of the game that are trying to make a difference and you’ve got to start at the grassroots level and then try to increase the numbers at all levels across the board — from scouts to the boardroom, the pitch and the fans,” Rehman explained.
“There’s more progress than maybe 10 years ago, but it’s still a little bit too slow.”
Nonethless, Rehman hopes his work with the PFA and through his own self-titled foundation can ultimately inspire the next generation of Asian youngsters in Britain and beyond. “My motivation was to try and be that person for the next generation to look up to and follow,” he added.
“I don’t look at it as a burden. It’s a responsibility which I’m proud to have and hopefully it can open the floodgates in the future.
“If you back in England in the Seventies, there were very, very few black players and they went through torrid abuse.
“History will repeat itself, but it’s taking its time and we’ve got to stick at it.”
He also stabbed three other workers, leaving them with serious injuries
uae5 hours ago
Dubai FinTech Summit kicked off on Monday with over 200 exhibitors
business6 hours ago
There were no immediate details over what the agreement entailed
mena6 hours ago
Authorities are currently investigating the sightings
uae6 hours ago
Although Israel ordered civilians in Rafah to evacuate, charity organisations say no real plan for their move is in place
mena6 hours ago
On Sunday, the final day of the adult competition, the UAE national team delivered a stellar performance, adding seven more medals to their tally
sports6 hours ago
Report says MAI-1 will be "far larger" than the previous smaller, open source models Microsoft had previously trained
tech7 hours ago
Country is showcasing its attractions at ATM
business7 hours ago