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The Irish Sun
08-07-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
‘I was gutted' – Former Man Utd wonderkid felt ‘disrespected' by Ten Hag as he reveals moment he knew he had to leave
ZIDANE IQBAL has opened up on how he thought Erik ten Hag did not "respect me enough to play". The former 4 Zidane Iqbal has opened up on how he felt 'disrespected' by Erik ten Hag Credit: Getty 4 Iqbal claimed he was due to start a League Cup game but was then named an unused substitute Credit: Getty 4 Ten Hag never played Iqbal later in that season despite asking him to remain patient Credit: Getty That appearance saw him create history by becoming the first British-born South Asian or Iraqi international to play for the club and first ever British South Asian to play in the Champions League. However, in June 2023 it was announced the youngster would be leaving Old Trafford to join Dutch side Utrecht. And Iqbal has now given a candid interview about his exit to respected Man Utd journalist, Now a full senior international for his country, the 22-year-old has recalled one incident which he views as the "turning point" for the promising trajectory of his Man Utd career. READ MORE IN FOOTBALL Iqbal recalls how, after being moved to the first team dressing room at the start of the season, he had grown frustrated with a lack of senior minutes off the bench, telling his dad and agent: "I can't do this for another year." A would-be chance finally reared its head in the League Cup quarter-final against Charlton at Old Trafford in January 2023. Iqbal claims he was set to start the clash as the Number 10 against the League One outfit having been involved in all the shapes and patterns in pre-match training. He even recalls a classy gesture from Lisandro Martinez as the Argentine defender told him: "'Now's your chance, all of us are supporting you. Just show yourself, you're a good player." Most read in Football BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK However, Iqbal saw his dreams dashed come matchday, and opened up how then Red Devils boss Ten Hag had left him feeling "disrespected." He said: "I got tickets for family and friends to see me. Finally, my chance. Man Utd vs Man City fan battle - 'Cristiano Ronaldo is worse than De Bruyne' | Stoppage Time "Then I got to the stadium, looked at the whiteboard and didn't see my name. I was gutted. "Then I thought I'd come off the bench. Nothing. That was the turning point for me. "I didn't feel the manager respected me enough to play me." Iqbal would not make the bench again in the Cup as Man Utd went on to beat Newcastle in the final, while he also did not make a single matchday squad for the FA Cup. In fact, after his quarter-final disappointment, Iqbal only made the Man Utd bench on three more occasions in the Premier League. But he was an unused substitute in back-to-back clashes against Leeds and an away game against Nottingham Forest. Iqbal explained how his lack of game time led to him wanting to go to the Under-19 World Cup that April. Join SUN CLUB for the Man Utd Files every Thursday plus in-depth coverage and exclusives from Old Trafford He took pointers off of In their meeting Ten Hag urged him not to go and to stay patient, which he did by remaining at Man Utd for the Spring, but those minutes never materialised and he lost his chance to become the Premier League's first Iraqi footballer. That noteworthy accolade has since gone to Ali Al-Hamadi when he came off the bench to star for His appearance took the number of nationalities to appear in In the end Iqbal told his agent he wanted a transfer away, and took inspiration from Iqbal 18 games in the Eredivisie last season and scored one goal before a knee injury ended his season. On his future he said his goal was to recover from his knee blow and get back to playing week in week out. He called Utrecht a "family club", but added manager Ron Jans is "very nice" despite the environment still being "ruthless". Iqbal concluded: "For me, I'll continue to do my best for my club and for Iraq. This is the life that I always wanted." 4
News18
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- News18
Shah Rukh Khan And Kajol's Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge Statue Gets Erected In London
Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol's "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge" will be honored with a statue in London's Leicester Square, celebrating the film's 30-year legacy. Bollywood superstars Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol's 1995 blockbuster 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge" (DDLJ) by Yash Raj Films is set to become the first ever statue honouring Indian cinema to be erected in London's Leicester Square. The bronze statue will showcase SRK and Kajol, in an iconic DDLJ pose. Set to be unveiled in Spring this year, the announcement spotlights how the film is loved by the over five million strong British South Asian community. On Wednesday, the Heart of London Business Alliance announced that Yash Raj Films' DDLJ statue will be joining the 'Scenes in the Square' movie trail in Leicester Square. This will mark the start of 30-year celebrations of the romantic film, which marked the directorial debut of Aditya Chopra. 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge" follows two non-resident Indians, Raj and Simran, and their star-crossed love story across Europe and India, beginning on a train from King's Cross Station. The location couldn't be more fitting, with Leicester Square featuring in DDLJ in a scene when Raj and Simran first cross paths, albeit unbeknown to one another, before setting off on their European adventure. The scene features two of the square's cinemas prominently, with Raj seen in front of the Vue cinema, and Simran walking past the Odeon Leicester Square. The new statue will be positioned along the eastern terrace, outside the Odeon cinema, honouring this scene. Other London locations featured in the film include Horseguards Avenue, Hyde Park, Tower Bridge and King's Cross Station. In the UK, the film's cultural significance remains, with a new musical based on DDLJ, Come Fall In Love – The DDLJ Musical, set to start at the Manchester Opera House on May 29, 2025. DDLJ will be next to iconic film characters like Harry Potter, Laurel & Hardy, Bugs Bunny, Gene Kelly in Singin' in the Rain, Mary Poppins, Mr. Bean, Paddington and DC Super-Heroes Batman and Wonder Woman. Mark Williams, Deputy Chief Executive at Heart of London Business Alliance, says: 'It's fantastic to have the opportunity to add to our trail Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol, who are such titans of international cinema." 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge is one of the most successful and important Bollywood films of all time, and we're excited by the prospect of bringing to the trail the first film that actually features Leicester Square as a location. The statue is a fitting tribute to the global popularity of Bollywood and a celebration of London's rich diversity. We're in no doubt it will attract fans from all around the world to Leicester Square, the home of film and entertainment." Akshaye Widhani, CEO of Yash Raj Films, added: 'When Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ) was released 30 years ago, the film became a defining moment for Indian cinema and changed the face of the industry, capturing the hearts of everyone who saw it all over the globe. We're thrilled to be the first Indian film to be represented in 'Scenes in the Square'." 'It also marks 30 years of DDLJ, a film that has spread love and joy globally and shows the cultural impact it has had in the UK." 'We are honoured that our superstars and our film are being recognized on the world stage alongside the Hollywood elite, from Gene Kelly to Laurel & Hardy to Harry Potter." First Published:
The Guardian
20-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
The week in theatre: Speed; Shanghai Dolls
My attitude to stage design changed about 15 years ago when I was on the judging panel for the Evening Standard theatre awards. Advocating one designer, I was met by an objection from another critic: 'You can't see what he does.' That was, of course, the best argument for my chap winning. Suddenly I realised what should have been self-evident: the best design does not have evident designs on its audience. I remembered that exchange when watching Mohamed-Zain Dada's light-footed new play, Speed. Tomás Palmer's design scarcely seems arranged: it is simply a place in which things happen. In a hotel meeting room, the air hangs heavy. Alarmingly large goldfish gloom around an aquarium; a very non-speedy vending machine is made to yield a neat joke; a serving hatch covered in a metal screen delivers a rattling fright. Every object helps emphasise the action and makes it register quickly. A Deliveroo driver, a nurse and an entrepreneur attend a speed awareness course. They have all been fined for aggressive driving. They are all British South Asian. A jumpy young man (Nikesh Patel) is in charge. He has a hokey line in public information videos ('We want to get inside of you,' he proclaims, showing himself peering into the bonnet of a car), which makes him look dopey. Actually he is disturbed. A dark secret, which pounces on him in mysterious blackouts, moves the plot from light comedy to shock. Speed is perfect for the talents of exciting young director Milli Bhatia. Her productions are fuelled by the rapidity with which conversation is spat out and scenes scud into each other. Six years ago she brought a new theatrical language to the Royal Court in Seven Methods of Killing Kylie Jenner, a mesmeric exploration of fevered friendship and social media. Now she points up the layers in Dada's drama. His look at speed (non drug-related) at first seems, in a drama where cars can be taken to define character, straightforwardly about driving fast. It twists into something different; a shrewd look at too-swift assumptions and insidious racism. In a sharp, finely defined cast, Shazia Nicholls is outstanding as the entrepreneur, glossy in a silk blouse, eager to promote her company Hot Girls Henna, keen to emphasise she comes from St Albans, quick to push forward – and to crumble at a touch of criticism. 'You don't really look Pakistani,' she is told. 'Oh thank you,' she purrs – confident that this is the best compliment. Jean Chan's design for Amy Ng's new play is made to be noticed, made to be read (literally – there are words on the backdrop). It evokes a background, floats a theme. It is more informative about an important subject than is Ng's dialogue. Shanghai Dolls is the story of Jiang Qing and Sun Weishi, creatures of talent and ambition hampered by their gender. Qing was the actor who became the wife of Mao Zedong and started the Cultural Revolution. Weishi, the adopted daughter of premier Zhou Enlai, was the first female theatre director in China. Drawing on memoirs, a few letters and oral histories – documentation is scant, evidence has often been destroyed – and adding her own speculation, Ng imagines some 30 years of friendship and rivalry between the two women beginning in 1935, ending in imprisonment and death. Their biographies are intertwined with Ibsen's A Doll's House, in which the future Madame Mao starred as Nora, the wife who slams the door on domesticity. Women are not free, Ng's drama rightly declares, simply because they carry guns. Chan's design invites the audience into individual circumstances and large-scale political movements. The stage is flanked by tarnished green doors with gridded windows – the sort you might see on changing rooms at the side of a marvellous swimming pool: here are the colours of China, here are Nora's doors waiting to be slammed. Behind them, posters and videos track years of Chinese history, through invasion and revolution. History, metaphor and terrific detail are lined up, waiting to set the stage alive: Madame Mao ends her days in a rag doll factory; there is a sly theatrical in-joke about macaroons. But Ng's puny exchanges cower under the mass of material, and in Katie Posner's jerky production every dilemma is yelled out. Gabby Wong's Quin and Millicent Wong's Weishi move stiffly (much flinging wide of arms) and speak stiltedly. I wish I thought this was part of a plan: to show how these extraordinary women were treated like marionettes. Meanwhile an exceptional piece of public art is moving through the Congo rainforest. Marvellous lifesize animal puppets – beasts both fragile and ferocious – are setting out on a 20,000km journey towards the Arctic Circle, drawing attention to climate change, the composition of the troop changing along the way. Produced by the creators of the refugee puppet Little Amal, this is one of the most vital theatrical events of 2025. Everyone should follow The Herds. Star ratings (out of five) Speed ★★★★Shanghai Dolls ★★ Speed is at the Bush, London, until 17 May Shanghai Dolls is at the Kiln, London, until 10 May Follow Little Amal from the Congo Basin to the Arctic Circle in The Herds, April-August
The Guardian
24-02-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
There's so much South Asian talent out there. Why are football clubs still ignoring it?
Sai Sachdev is one of 22 players from a South Asian background to have played professional men's football in the 2022‑23 season among an overall playing list of about 4,000. His story is remarkable because he was recruited by Sheffield United from grassroots football at 15, having been let go by Leicester when he was younger. Sachdev has made two appearances for the club this season, although unfortunately he is now out with a broken leg sustained in September. But the 19-year-old right-back has shown enough promise to represent England at age-group level and earn rave reviews from United's manager, Chris Wilder. Sachdev's story proves two things: British South Asian talent is out there and is determined to break through even when the odds are stacked against it. It is worth bearing this in mind after the Football Association launched its South Asian plan 'Build, Connect, Support' to tackle some of the challenges that remain. The aim of the plan is to make South Asian players feel more welcome in the grassroots game, after new research highlighted the 'overt racism' that still exists and how faith-based practices and dress are still not accommodated. It's a solid foundation, but there is so much more work to be done to help South Asians to feel fully included in football. At Kick It Out last season we received 50 reports of racism directed at South Asians across the grassroots game (21 reports), professional game (12) and online (17). The FA's plan showed that the number of South Asian players in the grassroots game in England is healthy, and improving. Adults from South Asian backgrounds make up 11.1% of men and 15.4% of women playing all types of football. For five- to 15-year-olds it's 8% of boys and 7.4% of girls. For context, the South Asian population of England and Wales is 7%. Other than in regard to adult women, those numbers drop when it comes to playing for clubs in leagues registered with the FA – in what is referred to as affiliated football – which highlights the challenge of bridging the gap between the grassroots game and elite level. Research has shown that professional clubs often rely on more traditional scouting and talent identification practices which recruit from established leagues and may not delve deep into areas where the South Asian community is playing. There are also challenges for the South Asian community based on outdated stereotypes such as career choices, a preference for cricket, their build or even diet. Previous research has debunked these myths and a recent YouGov survey commissioned by Kick It Out has shown that a higher percentage of the South Asian community follows football compared with the national average. It also showed that younger generations are more likely than ever to choose football over cricket. The Premier League tried to address this in its 2022 South Asian Action Plan, and the latest data from the Professional Footballers' Association, from the same year, indicated that the majority of professional clubs had at least one South Asian player in their academy. But South Asian boys represent only 0.91% of players at the development phase (under-16) and 1.45% at the scholar phase (16+). Only 0.46% attain professional contracts. Although South Asian representation in the elite game is increasing, at the current rate it would take decades before playing levels at grassroots are replicated there. Many of us in South Asian communities have been talking about this for decades and are frustrated at the prospect of waiting many more decades for meaningful change. If the chief executive of a public limited company discovered that a substantial percentage of people actively interested in its product were in effect being ignored, they would ask questions. So should club chief executives. The heart of the challenge is at entry level in academies. It's simple maths. If not enough South Asian players are going into the talent pipeline at the start, not enough will come out as professionals. Players aged six to nine have been a particular focus of the Premier League's South Asian elite development strategy, working with pioneer academies. We would encourage doubling down on that investment. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion Academies have traditionally been projected as meritocracies where highly skilled coaching judgment identifies the best talent. But if the likelihood of making it as a professional from entry level is 0.5%, why are South Asian players, who make up about 8% of the playing pool, being ignored? Even if academy players don't make it to the top, many are offered life skills that will help them to flourish on the pitch or elsewhere. We should celebrate academies for that. But why deny access to that life skills development to so many members of the South Asian playing community? There needs to be further research to challenge some of the recruitment practices or potential biases that may exclude the South Asian community. And we have argued before that clubs should seriously consider targets at academy entry level to shift the dial. More robust, consistent and transparent data would help in monitoring progress and we look forward to seeing new workforce diversity figures in June when the FA will make it mandatory for clubs to report them. Once there are more players in the system and better learning opportunities are being passed on to friends and siblings, there will hopefully be a time when targets are not needed, especially if more South Asian professionals can inspire the next generation. There are many impressive professional players such as Zidane Iqbal, the Manchester-born midfielder who is with Utrecht after leaving Manchester United, Safia Middleton-Patel, the Manchester United and Wales goalkeeper, and Sachdev who could help to turn the trickle of talent from South Asian communities into a torrent. That would not only have benefits to young players in England but potentially build huge commercial value for its clubs throughout the South Asian subcontinent. Sanjay Bhandari is the chair of Kick It Out. Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.
