Archive · 21 Aug 2026
Premier League Begins Season Without British South Asian Players
The new Premier League season has started without any British South Asian players.
This is unusual because many British South Asian people play football at grassroots level.
Four years ago, several young players seemed ready to reach the top division.
Hamza Choudhury is now playing for Leicester City in League One.
Zidane Iqbal is on loan at Jong FC Utrecht, while Kam Kandola and Arjan Raikhy play in the National League.
Iqbal did make history by playing for Iraq at a men’s World Cup finals.
Football groups created a plan to improve representation, but the plan has not yet produced a Premier League player this season.
The next question is whether younger players can reach the top level in the coming years.
Arsenal’s win over newly promoted Coventry City opened the 2026-27 Premier League season without a British South Asian player.
Four players identified as breakthrough prospects four years ago are now playing below the Premier League level.
Hamza Choudhury is with Leicester City in League One, while Zidane Iqbal is on loan at Jong FC Utrecht.
Kam Kandola plays for National League club Hereford, and Arjan Raikhy represents Boston United.
The absence comes four years after the Premier League and Kick It Out launched a South Asian Action Plan to improve representation.
- Who
- British South Asian footballers, including Hamza Choudhury, Zidane Iqbal, Kam Kandola and Arjan Raikhy, alongside the Premier League, Kick It Out and the Professional Footballers’ Association.
- What
- The 2026-27 Premier League season began without a British South Asian player appearing in the competition.
- When
- At the opening of the 2026-27 Premier League season, following Arsenal’s Friday night victory.
- Where
- In the Premier League in England; the four previously highlighted players are now at clubs in England, the Netherlands or Iraq internationally.
- Why
- The article says the development pipeline has not translated into top-flight representation, despite grassroots participation and a South Asian Action Plan.
- Season
- 2026-27 Premier League season
- Opening match detail
- Arsenal opened the season with a win over newly promoted Coventry City.
- British South Asian representation
- No British South Asian player is in the Premier League for the season.
- Grassroots participation
- British South Asians make up roughly six per cent of grassroots football in England.
- Professional representation
- The Professional Footballers’ Association counted the community at barely 0.45 per cent of the professional game.
- Action plan
- The Premier League and Kick It Out launched a South Asian Action Plan four years ago.
- Representation goal
- The Professional Footballers’ Association has discussed reaching roughly six per cent professional representation.