FA Cup Shirt Auction, Iqbal Support, and Savage Links Headline Dev’s Digest

Hamza Choudhury’s match-worn shirt from Leicester City’s 2021 FA Cup final victory over Chelsea is set to be auctioned for charity later this month. The framed jersey will be sold at a fundraiser for Children Not Numbers, an organization supporting children impacted by the conflict in Gaza. The event, organized by Muslim athlete representation body Nujum Sports, will take place in London on October 25, where Choudhury is expected to speak.

Choudhury, who recently ended his 21-year tenure at Leicester to join Sheffield United, is not the only British South Asian footballer making headlines. Fulham academy prospect Farhaan Ali Wahid has followed in his footsteps on the international stage. Currently on loan at National League leaders Boreham Wood, Ali Wahid became only the second Premier League footballer to represent Bangladesh, coming off the bench to score in a recent defeat to Indonesia.

Elsewhere in international action, Oxford City winger Dillon De Silva starred for Sri Lanka, scoring in a 3-0 win against Seychelles and adding another goal in a subsequent 2-0 victory on Mahe Island.

Attention also turned to the recent abuse faced by Zidane Iqbal, the Dundee United midfielder who was targeted while playing for Iraq. Iqbal publicly addressed verbal and online harassment related to his British-Pakistani heritage. Mal Benning and Kam Kandola, both award winners at the upcoming Asian Football Awards, expressed their solidarity with the player.

Benning, who is set to receive the Football Pioneer award, described Iqbal as a great example for South Asian athletes and expressed sadness that he faced such treatment. “Hopefully, this is a one-off… All we can do as a community is stick together,” Benning told Sky Sports News.

Kandola, who won the Non-League Player award, praised Iqbal for his courage. “He stood up to it—and for himself and his heritage,” Kandola said. “I’m quite impressed by how he handled it. We all stand by him.”

In other award news, Wrexham and Pakistan forward Mariam Mahmood claimed the Women’s Player accolade, while Lewes midfielder Layla Banaras took home the Women’s Young Player prize. Meanwhile, Brandon Khela, the Men’s Young Player award winner, admitted he is excited about the prospect of Robbie Savage taking over as Peterborough United manager. Khela, who made nearly 60 appearances for the club, believes he could learn significantly from the former Birmingham City midfielder.

Adding to the night’s highlights, Chesterfield trailblazer Dilan Markanday reflected on his recent solo goal against York City. Markanday, who became the first British South Asian to play for Tottenham Hotspur in 140 years, said the strike made him feel like the fearless youth prospect he once was. “My eyes lit up when I got that one-on-one,” he recalled, noting the goal resembled the kind he used to score for fun during his time at Spurs.