The Asian Football Awards 2012 Winners Announced The first ever Asian Football Awards supported by The

FA and Kick It Out, with Sporting Equals as its legacy partner saw leading figures come out to support the glitzy event at the home of football, Wembley Stadium. Guests for this event included David Bernstein (FA Chairman), Paul Elliot, Graham Le Saux, Piara Powar, Mihir Bose, Gurinder Chadha (Bend It Like Beckham) and award winners Michael Chopra and Manish Bhasin. The AFA managed to engage with key representatives of those individuals working hard to engage with their communities and develop Asians within the game. The event brought together representatives of clubs and organisations such as Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspurs, Aston Villa, QPR, Wolves, Charlton, Liverpool, The PFA and many leading Asian organisations. Imran Hassan Co-Founder Asian Football Awards It was really pleasing seeing so many key figures supporting and enjoying the awards, but the hard work begins now in our legacy programme. A very big congratulations to all the nominees and winners, it really was truly inspirational to see so many role models, in particular nominees like Rikin Shah and Lifetime Achievement recipient Jarnail Singh Baljit Rihal Co-Founder Asian Football Awards The first ever Asian Football Awards was a celebration of the success of Asians in all aspects of UK football. We are proud to have created the awards which we are confident will be an annual high profile event. Arun Kang CEO Sporting Equals "Sporting Equals was delighted to be a partner at the first ever Asian Football Awards. It was a fantastic evening celebrating the significant contribution that British Asians are making in the game at all levels, congratulations to all the nominees. I believe the strength of the awards is that they not only showcase elite players like Michael Chopra the Player of the Year, but also the considerable impact that Asians are making in coaching, sports medicine and administration, creating new role models and inspiring the next generation. We are now looking forward to finding talent, engaging and empowering communities through SE Talent id the legacy programme of the Asian Football Awards 2012." Russell Atkinson, Managing Director Lebara Mobile added We are proud to be a part of the first ever Asian Football Awards, recognising excellence and inspiring future generations of Asians into the sport. At Lebara, we are passionate about supporting activities, such as football, that are important to our customers. We are honoured to be associated with Michael Chopra, a highly deserving winner of the Player of the Year

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The winners of the inaugural Asian Football Awards: The Player of the Year Award (Sponsored by cheap international calls provider Lebara Mobile) - Michael Chopra (Ipswich Town) The Young Player of the Year (Sponsored by Inventive Sports) Danny Batth (Wolves/Sheff Wed) Lifetime Achievement Award Jarnail Singh (referee) Football Media Award (Sponsored by Sony Entertainment Network) Manish Bhasin (BBC) Investors in Football Tony Fernandes and Lakshmi Mittal (QPR) Coach of the Year (Sponsored by Action Images) Nas Bashir (Hayes and Yeading) Asian Woman in Football Rimla Akhtar Foundation of the Year Osmani Trust Behind the Scenes Administration Raj Athwal (Watford FC) Behind the Scenes Medical (Sponsored by SportsRecruit.co.uk) Dr Zaf Iqbal (Liverpool FC) Grass Roots Hero (Sponsored by AsiansInFootball.com) Bal Singh (The KFA) Asian Community Club of the Year London Tigers Inspiration Award Permi Jhooti Football Development Project of the Year (Sponsored by Sporting Equals) Diversity Academy The Asian Football Awards will be aired on Sony Entertainment Network on Friday 10th February 2012. Sky Channel 782 Virgin - TV Channel 806 For press or legacy information please contact Initiate Sports on afa@initiatesports.com

ENDS For your information please contact Initiate Sports Kavita Patel: - +44 (0) 8456 805 325 or kavita@initiatesports.com Imran Hassan: - +44(0) 8456 805 325 or imran@initiatesports.com NOTES TO EDITORS Asian Football Awards recognises and honour outstanding achievements across 14 categories that include pro/semi pro players, coaches, managers investors, backroom staff and grassroots. The AFA was for individuals with heritage from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh and indeed those dedicated to increasing Asian Participation in UK football. Current AFA executive committee include: o o o o o o o o Brendon Batson MBE Brendon Batson Consultancy Jonathon Mills FA Equality Coordinator Kevin Coleman Grassroots Development Officer, Kick It Out Zohaib Rashid Sports Journalist and Web Editor Operation Black Vote Arunava Chaudhuri Sport Journalist / TV Presenter Amar Singh Deputy Editor Goal.com Lorraine Deschamps FA Ambassador Arun Kang CEO Sporting Equals

The Asian Football Awards was held at Wembley Stadium, London on January 24th 2012. The Asian Football Awards is partnership between Initiate Sports and Inventive Sports. The Asian Football Awards will be hosted by Dharmesh Sheth from Sky Sports News.