British-Asian footballers treated differently than predecessors researcher says

Daniel Burdsey, a Reader at the University of Brighton, said British-Asian athletes are racialized differently than their predecessors, the African-Caribbean athletes who came before them in English football. While some say it's just a matter of time before they are more prominent in the game, Burdsey says that isn't true, that British Asian players are racialized as unable or unwilling to play the game.

Burdsey says barriers still exist, preventing the British-Asian players from ascending in sport.

At Brighton, Burdsey has dedicated his research to exploring racism in British culture, specifically in sport.

In the late 90s, Burdsey was a member of the Leicester City FC Anti-Racist Task Force. Those experiences helped him address the issues of the racist treatment of British Asians in soccer. While researching racism in soccer, made interesting discoveries about the racial treatment of British-Asians, and realized that that treatment is why they are not well represented in British soccer.

To this day, Burdsey is committed to fighting racism through his research efforts.

Katelyn Oates is a sophomore journalism major and Dustin Paré is a senior journalism major