WHY SO MANY BRITISH ASIANS CHOSE LFC
Jimmy Rice 05 September 2008
Mohammed Bhana is on a mission – to find out why so many British Asians support Liverpool Football Club.
The lifelong Red has spent the last year researching and writing a book on the subject.
The Asian Liverbird, which was commissioned by the club after an approach by Bhana, explores how immigrants from Asia came to chose LFC upon arriving in England in the Sixties and Seventies – and why, generations later, their children and grandchildren are still wearing red.
"LFC has been entrenched in Asian households since the 1960s," says the author. "But the question of why is incredibly across the board."
Bhana's search for answers took him first to Melwood, where he spoke to stars such as Steven Gerrard, Xabi Alonso and Nabil El Zhar.
Next he conducted a raft of interviews with Asian fans and journalists, each of whom gave their account of why Liverpool is in the blood.
Each story is as colourful as it is different, yet one name is present throughout – Bill Shankly.
"It's the Shankly way," explains Bhana, who spoke to the great Sir Tom Finney about our legendary manager. "He had this great family-orientated take on life.
"It wasn't just what he did for Liverpool on the pitch. You hear about him giving tickets to fans and helping get young kids on the straight and narrow.
"As a kid I could really relate to the great man and I still do. His magic will never fade."
This view is shared by one of our most recognisable ethnic fans, Mohammed Amin Loonat, whose face appeared in every tabloid newspaper after he invaded the pitch to kiss Stan Collymore during the striker's goalscoring debut back in 1995.
"Shankly didn't care about the colour of your skin, or what your name was, he just wanted the club to conquer the whole world," says Amin.
"He made the Kop believe that they were part of the club, and rightly so – we are all one. People all over the world wanted a piece of this club."
If Shanks planted the seeds of our incredible ethnic fanbase, another Kop icon ensured they blossomed throughout the modern era – John Barnes.
"He was the first high-profile black player at the club," says Bhana. "Asians didn't have a great role model in football at the time, so they took to Barnes - a man of colour who destroyed defences week in, week out.
"Asian fans came to Anfield in their droves because of him. It certainly helped the club create an affinity with this fanbase."
The legacy of Shankly and Barnes can be seen in Asian communities up and down the country.
Take Bhana's home town of Batley, for instance. About 70 miles east of Anfield, this old mill town has, on the face of it, little in common with the bright, Capital of Culture-funded lights of Liverpool.
But sit down on a bench outside Batley Town Hall and you won't have to wait long to see a Liverbird sitting proudly on someone's chest.
Liverpool shirts are au couture in this part of Yorkshire, where 30 per cent of the population is Asian.
Journalist Nazia Mogra, who covered the launch of The Asian Liverbird for BBC Radio Manchester, thinks it is a generational thing.
"When the first generations of Asian kids grew up, Liverpool were the best team," she explains.
"You see a lot of people wearing Liverpool shirts in places like Preston, Manchester, London, and Batley.
"It has come through the generations. In the Asian community, a lot of things are passed down, and supporting Liverpool is one of them."
And it's not just in England where the Kop legend is passed on.
Bhana explains: "You cannot discount the impact second and third generation Asians have had on relatives in Asia and the Middle East, who are joining the trend of supporting Liverpool FC.
"Nowadays you hear about relatives in those countries wearing Liverpool tops and watching games. Little did Liverpool Football Club realise that the brand is revered all over Asia with a tremendous increase in fans as far as Gujarat and Bombay.
"My parents returned from a holiday in India recently and they could not believe how many Liverpool fans there were over there. They even saw a Liverpool FC shop in one of the biggest cities in India. No other club can boast such a fanbase or has given so much back to the supporters."
One man who has witnessed this growth first hand is two-times European Cup winner Phil Thompson.
The Scouser visited Asia in his playing heyday before returning two decades later as assistant to Gerard Houllier.
"The way Liverpool Football Club has grown in Asia and the Asian community is unbelievable," says Thommo. "I saw it as a player and it was great then. But I went back twice as assistant manager and it was astonishing – the kind of thing you have to see to believe.
"Growing up as a lad in Kirkby, I would never have imagined in my wildest dreams that Liverpool would go on to be this global phenomenon. I didn't know we had supporters outside the city.
"It just goes to show what Shanks started all those years ago. Of course, he would have said he predicted it!
"Club like AC Milan and Bayern Munich can say what they like but they have nowhere near the level of worldwide support Liverpool have, and these fans live and breathe the club just as much as lads from Kirkby and Anfield."
The Reds' global appeal has only increased since Thompson left the backroom staff in 2004, not least because of the miracle that was Istanbul.
The Asian market is one the club is keen to tap into, an example of which is the launch of a Chinese version of the Official LFC Magazine in Hong Kong.
Back home, the club is taking a palpable lead in commissioning a book specific to our British Asian fans. London Evening Standard journalist Amar Singh believes its 220 pages could have a real impact.
"This book is a big step forward," he says. "It has already made a real impact. At the launch of the book, Ian Rush, Phil Thompson and Mohammed signed copies for fans from various backgrounds. It was just unbelievable.
"I see more and more Asian Liverpool fans each time I go. I recently traveled up to Anfield in a coach with about 50 mainly Asian fans. It was a great feeling.
"British Asians will make their mark in British football and it's great to see Liverpool Football Club leading the way."
Jimmy Rice 05 September 2008
Mohammed Bhana is on a mission – to find out why so many British Asians support Liverpool Football Club.
The lifelong Red has spent the last year researching and writing a book on the subject.
The Asian Liverbird, which was commissioned by the club after an approach by Bhana, explores how immigrants from Asia came to chose LFC upon arriving in England in the Sixties and Seventies – and why, generations later, their children and grandchildren are still wearing red.
"LFC has been entrenched in Asian households since the 1960s," says the author. "But the question of why is incredibly across the board."
Bhana's search for answers took him first to Melwood, where he spoke to stars such as Steven Gerrard, Xabi Alonso and Nabil El Zhar.
Next he conducted a raft of interviews with Asian fans and journalists, each of whom gave their account of why Liverpool is in the blood.
Each story is as colourful as it is different, yet one name is present throughout – Bill Shankly.
"It's the Shankly way," explains Bhana, who spoke to the great Sir Tom Finney about our legendary manager. "He had this great family-orientated take on life.
"It wasn't just what he did for Liverpool on the pitch. You hear about him giving tickets to fans and helping get young kids on the straight and narrow.
"As a kid I could really relate to the great man and I still do. His magic will never fade."
This view is shared by one of our most recognisable ethnic fans, Mohammed Amin Loonat, whose face appeared in every tabloid newspaper after he invaded the pitch to kiss Stan Collymore during the striker's goalscoring debut back in 1995.
"Shankly didn't care about the colour of your skin, or what your name was, he just wanted the club to conquer the whole world," says Amin.
"He made the Kop believe that they were part of the club, and rightly so – we are all one. People all over the world wanted a piece of this club."
If Shanks planted the seeds of our incredible ethnic fanbase, another Kop icon ensured they blossomed throughout the modern era – John Barnes.
"He was the first high-profile black player at the club," says Bhana. "Asians didn't have a great role model in football at the time, so they took to Barnes - a man of colour who destroyed defences week in, week out.
"Asian fans came to Anfield in their droves because of him. It certainly helped the club create an affinity with this fanbase."
The legacy of Shankly and Barnes can be seen in Asian communities up and down the country.
Take Bhana's home town of Batley, for instance. About 70 miles east of Anfield, this old mill town has, on the face of it, little in common with the bright, Capital of Culture-funded lights of Liverpool.
But sit down on a bench outside Batley Town Hall and you won't have to wait long to see a Liverbird sitting proudly on someone's chest.
Liverpool shirts are au couture in this part of Yorkshire, where 30 per cent of the population is Asian.
Journalist Nazia Mogra, who covered the launch of The Asian Liverbird for BBC Radio Manchester, thinks it is a generational thing.
"When the first generations of Asian kids grew up, Liverpool were the best team," she explains.
"You see a lot of people wearing Liverpool shirts in places like Preston, Manchester, London, and Batley.
"It has come through the generations. In the Asian community, a lot of things are passed down, and supporting Liverpool is one of them."
And it's not just in England where the Kop legend is passed on.
Bhana explains: "You cannot discount the impact second and third generation Asians have had on relatives in Asia and the Middle East, who are joining the trend of supporting Liverpool FC.
"Nowadays you hear about relatives in those countries wearing Liverpool tops and watching games. Little did Liverpool Football Club realise that the brand is revered all over Asia with a tremendous increase in fans as far as Gujarat and Bombay.
"My parents returned from a holiday in India recently and they could not believe how many Liverpool fans there were over there. They even saw a Liverpool FC shop in one of the biggest cities in India. No other club can boast such a fanbase or has given so much back to the supporters."
One man who has witnessed this growth first hand is two-times European Cup winner Phil Thompson.
The Scouser visited Asia in his playing heyday before returning two decades later as assistant to Gerard Houllier.
"The way Liverpool Football Club has grown in Asia and the Asian community is unbelievable," says Thommo. "I saw it as a player and it was great then. But I went back twice as assistant manager and it was astonishing – the kind of thing you have to see to believe.
"Growing up as a lad in Kirkby, I would never have imagined in my wildest dreams that Liverpool would go on to be this global phenomenon. I didn't know we had supporters outside the city.
"It just goes to show what Shanks started all those years ago. Of course, he would have said he predicted it!
"Club like AC Milan and Bayern Munich can say what they like but they have nowhere near the level of worldwide support Liverpool have, and these fans live and breathe the club just as much as lads from Kirkby and Anfield."
The Reds' global appeal has only increased since Thompson left the backroom staff in 2004, not least because of the miracle that was Istanbul.
The Asian market is one the club is keen to tap into, an example of which is the launch of a Chinese version of the Official LFC Magazine in Hong Kong.
Back home, the club is taking a palpable lead in commissioning a book specific to our British Asian fans. London Evening Standard journalist Amar Singh believes its 220 pages could have a real impact.
"This book is a big step forward," he says. "It has already made a real impact. At the launch of the book, Ian Rush, Phil Thompson and Mohammed signed copies for fans from various backgrounds. It was just unbelievable.
"I see more and more Asian Liverpool fans each time I go. I recently traveled up to Anfield in a coach with about 50 mainly Asian fans. It was a great feeling.
"British Asians will make their mark in British football and it's great to see Liverpool Football Club leading the way."
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