Post by QPR Report on Apr 12, 2010 12:34:39 GMT
BBC
Asians investing cash in football
South Asian players may be struggling to make a telling breakthrough into football but BBC Asian Network has found that it has not stopped successful businessmen from that community investing in the game.
If you go through any national or international rich list, there are a growing array of Asian faces appearing and that trend appears to be the same in football.
Lakshmi Mittal, the third wealthiest man on the planet, is the most high-profile investor in England with his money helping Championship side Queens Park Rangers, where his son-in-law Amit Bhatia is vice-chairman.
Mittal is from India but there are also Asians of English origin getting involved, including merchant banker Ilyas Khan at Accrington Stanley and Woking chairman Shahid Azeem.
Raj Athwal is the head of corporate at Watford and, not only has he seen a growing interest from Asian investors, he is trying to encourage more.
Football is a global business and every club from Premier League to Conference will open arms to everybody now
Raj Athwal, Watford head of corporate
Athwal was at Coventry before his role at Vicarage Road and he says two Asian investors put in six figure sums while he was commercial operations manager at the Ricoh Arena.
"Asians want to get involved in football," he told BBC Asian Network.
"Since I've been at Watford I have been to a lot of Asian businesses and even those who have never been to a Watford match.
"I have said to them to trust me and to come along to a match as my guest.
"They have come here and are now starting to invest money because it is, perhaps, going beyond their negative racial connotations of the sport from the 1980s.
"Football is a global business now and every club from Premier League to Conference will open arms to everybody."
That was not quite the case for multi-millionaire merchant banker Ilyas Khan who is Accrington Stanley's non-executive chairman.
"Some people objected on the fact that I'm Asian and when I heard about this my response as always was to ignore them,'' he said.
Will I get my money back? I don't think so. I've done it because I am from Accrington and the club is in my blood. I take great pride in the club surviving
Ilyas Khan, Accrington Stanley non-executive chairman
But Khan, who is a non-executive as he says he does not have the "time or expertise" to get involved in day-to-day running of the club, is quick to add that his overall experience at Stanley has been overwhelmingly positive.
Reports estimate he has already poured in over £1.5m of his own money into the club.
That includes a vital contribution in making up the shortfall on a tax bill of more than £300,000 when the club ended up in court with the prospect of being wound up.
"At the last minute the club revealed that it was still about £160,000 short," he explained.
"I turned up in court having been made aware of the situation the evening before and I then guaranteed that the shortfall would be made good and the club survived.
"Since then the club has needed more money and I have been able to make a further donation.
"Will I get my money back? I don't think so. I've done it because I am from Accrington and the club is in my blood. I take great pride in the club surviving."
So can all this help Asian players into football?
Harjinder Singh is a local businessman in Watford and believes that investment in the boardroom will be the key to getting more Asian players on the pitch.
He said: "Let's face it; if you bring investment you bring influence.
I don't want people to think this is an Asian football club. This is Woking Football Club and it belongs to the community
Woking chairman Shahid Azeem
"And, if you bring influence, there's always a way of saying 'there's a young lad I know, I'd like you take a look at him, give him a couple of breaks'. That's opening doors for them."
However, Professor John Williams from the University of Leicester disagrees with this viewpoint.
He believes there have been Asian investors in the past, including the Kumar brothers at Birmingham City FC and the Bhatti Brothers at Wolves, but their standing did not result in more Asian players at the clubs.
"I don't think very many, if any, of these early investment 'pioneers' saw their role as a way of bringing Asians into the game," he said.
''I think they simply saw it as a business opportunity.''
Woking chairman Shahid Azeem insists that, while he would like to help encourage Asian players into the game, it will only be an aim within the wider scope of the club's objectives.
"I think we can do that (target Asians) as part of the whole community but as a club we are going to be inclusive," said Azeem.
"Just because I am the chairman does not mean we are just going to go for the Asian community.
"I don't want people to think this is an Asian football club. This is Woking Football Club and it belongs to the community."
You can hear the documentary on Asian investment in football on BBC's Asian Network Reports radio show at 1830 BST on Monday, 12 April, via the BBC iPlayer or at the BBC Asian Network Reports documentaries page.
news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/8611384.stm
Asians investing cash in football
South Asian players may be struggling to make a telling breakthrough into football but BBC Asian Network has found that it has not stopped successful businessmen from that community investing in the game.
If you go through any national or international rich list, there are a growing array of Asian faces appearing and that trend appears to be the same in football.
Lakshmi Mittal, the third wealthiest man on the planet, is the most high-profile investor in England with his money helping Championship side Queens Park Rangers, where his son-in-law Amit Bhatia is vice-chairman.
Mittal is from India but there are also Asians of English origin getting involved, including merchant banker Ilyas Khan at Accrington Stanley and Woking chairman Shahid Azeem.
Raj Athwal is the head of corporate at Watford and, not only has he seen a growing interest from Asian investors, he is trying to encourage more.
Football is a global business and every club from Premier League to Conference will open arms to everybody now
Raj Athwal, Watford head of corporate
Athwal was at Coventry before his role at Vicarage Road and he says two Asian investors put in six figure sums while he was commercial operations manager at the Ricoh Arena.
"Asians want to get involved in football," he told BBC Asian Network.
"Since I've been at Watford I have been to a lot of Asian businesses and even those who have never been to a Watford match.
"I have said to them to trust me and to come along to a match as my guest.
"They have come here and are now starting to invest money because it is, perhaps, going beyond their negative racial connotations of the sport from the 1980s.
"Football is a global business now and every club from Premier League to Conference will open arms to everybody."
That was not quite the case for multi-millionaire merchant banker Ilyas Khan who is Accrington Stanley's non-executive chairman.
"Some people objected on the fact that I'm Asian and when I heard about this my response as always was to ignore them,'' he said.
Will I get my money back? I don't think so. I've done it because I am from Accrington and the club is in my blood. I take great pride in the club surviving
Ilyas Khan, Accrington Stanley non-executive chairman
But Khan, who is a non-executive as he says he does not have the "time or expertise" to get involved in day-to-day running of the club, is quick to add that his overall experience at Stanley has been overwhelmingly positive.
Reports estimate he has already poured in over £1.5m of his own money into the club.
That includes a vital contribution in making up the shortfall on a tax bill of more than £300,000 when the club ended up in court with the prospect of being wound up.
"At the last minute the club revealed that it was still about £160,000 short," he explained.
"I turned up in court having been made aware of the situation the evening before and I then guaranteed that the shortfall would be made good and the club survived.
"Since then the club has needed more money and I have been able to make a further donation.
"Will I get my money back? I don't think so. I've done it because I am from Accrington and the club is in my blood. I take great pride in the club surviving."
So can all this help Asian players into football?
Harjinder Singh is a local businessman in Watford and believes that investment in the boardroom will be the key to getting more Asian players on the pitch.
He said: "Let's face it; if you bring investment you bring influence.
I don't want people to think this is an Asian football club. This is Woking Football Club and it belongs to the community
Woking chairman Shahid Azeem
"And, if you bring influence, there's always a way of saying 'there's a young lad I know, I'd like you take a look at him, give him a couple of breaks'. That's opening doors for them."
However, Professor John Williams from the University of Leicester disagrees with this viewpoint.
He believes there have been Asian investors in the past, including the Kumar brothers at Birmingham City FC and the Bhatti Brothers at Wolves, but their standing did not result in more Asian players at the clubs.
"I don't think very many, if any, of these early investment 'pioneers' saw their role as a way of bringing Asians into the game," he said.
''I think they simply saw it as a business opportunity.''
Woking chairman Shahid Azeem insists that, while he would like to help encourage Asian players into the game, it will only be an aim within the wider scope of the club's objectives.
"I think we can do that (target Asians) as part of the whole community but as a club we are going to be inclusive," said Azeem.
"Just because I am the chairman does not mean we are just going to go for the Asian community.
"I don't want people to think this is an Asian football club. This is Woking Football Club and it belongs to the community."
You can hear the documentary on Asian investment in football on BBC's Asian Network Reports radio show at 1830 BST on Monday, 12 April, via the BBC iPlayer or at the BBC Asian Network Reports documentaries page.
news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/8611384.stm