Could Judan Ali become the Premier League's first British Asian manager?

Racism in football has been the hot topic of the moment, with plenty of stories and incidents which indicate that discrimination in the sport, just as in society has not been fully eradicated.

Those who have felt the full force of racist abuse bear the physical and mental scars which cannot be eradicated. Black players in the 1980s were pelted with bananas and regularly faced abuse, even from their own fans. But what of the Asian experience? There has always been a concern about the lack of numbers in the professional ranks.

There are a number of factors why there hasn't been a constant stream of Asian players in the Premier League, Championship and the two other professional leagues in England. Racism is definitely considered to be a contributing factor if we take Judan Ali's experience in the beautiful game.

The aspiring coach has set his sights on becoming the Premier League's first British Asian manager, something which seems to be far-fetched considering the number of Black managers in the professional leagues stands at just two. Ali was bitten by the football bug from a young age and worked hard towards getting in the game. Having spent two years at Arsenal as a YTS trainee, Ali, who was born in east London, was met with a wall of prejudice.

Ali said,

"I applied in writing by my real name to football clubs in the First Division back in the late 1980s and never got one response back to attend trials. However when I called the clubs up I called myself English names Just to get through to the right persons who would assume that I was English. I spent almost two years trying to get trials at Professional clubs up and down the country and never had a problem in being invited from football clubs for trials due to my disguise of being English, using names like Stephen Jones as my command of the English language was first class and no one suspected. However, when I would turn up, I would get questioned why I was there, I would tell them my alias name I used and be present with a pair of football boots in hand and my sports bag. My persistency of telling them that I had travelled from a far got the sympathy vote but not confidence to let me into the clubs training sessions.

He added,

"I would be called Paki at every single club I went to by players and addressed as a Paki by some managers, especially when I got the rare chance to play at t reserve match etc. I spent two years of my life trying to make it as a professional footballer in the game and have been left with mental scars of the experiences of being a victim because of the color of my skin. I was forced to give up the efforts as I was financially drained and without an education or qualifications I sought to make it abroad as a footballer and played in the Spanish lower league where I set up my life and never looked back.

But Ali has tried to put the past behind him, instead focusing on trying to affect things from the dugout. He also wants to use his experience to help BME players, especially from the Asian community to inspire them to advance their careers in football.

Football is such a powerful vehicle to send out messages and I just hope and pray that universally we kick out all forms of racism on and off the field, no matter what level we play at.

Ali's determination to prove people wrong was evident during a soccer festival organised by Arsenal FC in the summer. He assembled a group of players from India who ended up winning the tournament, showing that talent does exist in the Asian community and that he can be useful to nurture the next generation of superstars. Blackburn Rover’s Indian owners Venky’s have also taken note of him and his aim is to become the Premier League’s first British Asian manager.

I sent a message to the football world by winning that tournament that they needed to take notice of Asian footballing talent, not just in India, but in this country. I’m now taking my badges, thanks to the help of the FA, and my goal is to become the first British Asian Premier League manager.

Ali's positive nature is an inspiration to those who have been held back or discriminated against that they should keep up the good fight and join others who are pushing the same cause. It would be a brilliant statement if Ali did follow through on his quest to become the first British Asian to manage in England's top flight.