Since making his debut in 2004, Zesh Rehman has been a pioneer and role model for young Asian footballers. Liam Apicella talks to Zesh about his current forays in Thailand and their obsession with the English Premier League.
ZESH THE TRAILBLAZER
Saturday April 17th 2004: Liverpool 0-0 Fulham. A largely uninspiring Premier League fixture remembered mainly for Steven Gerrard having a penalty kick saved by Edwin Van Der Sar.
What the 40,000 in attendance at Anfield may have forgotten however is the fact that they witnessed a piece of footballing history that afternoon.
A 21-year-old Zesh Rehman was not only making his Fulham debut, but in doing so became the first player of South Asian origin to play in England’s top flight.
It proved to be the springboard for a series of groundbreaking feats for Birmingham-born Rehman, who has since gone on to become the first British Asian to play in all four tiers of the English football pyramid, to play in both the FA and Carling Cups while also the first South Asian to play professionally in both England and Thailand.
A FAR EAST ADVENTURE
Rehman realised the latter of those achievements late in 2010. Having left Bradford City, where he was the club captain, (the first British Asian to skipper the Bantams in their 108-year history) in December, the defender opted for a change of scenery, embarking on a new journey with Thai Premier League champions Muangthong United.
Discussing his reasons for a transfer to Southeast Asia, Rehman said: “Football is a funny game. I had a phone call from my agent on a Thursday night saying that clubs in Asia were interested in signing me.
“I was on the plane the next day and met the club officials over the weekend and my gut feeling was to sign. I was made to feel very welcome by everyone and there is an extremely professional set up, excellent training facilities, 25,000 seater stadium and very passionate fans.
“I had offers from other clubs both in England and abroad but Muangthong United made me a great offer and expressed the strongest interest in signing me. They wanted me to help them continue their impressive run of winning the Thai Premier League for a third consecutive year and further progress in the Asian Champions League.
“It was sad to be leaving Bradford City as I had very fond memories of the club and city. The fans have been great and I would not rule out a return to England in the future. It’s a new league, new style of football and culture, but it will help me progress as a person and player.”
THE GAME HERE AND THE GAME THERE
Having been involved in the English game for ten years, adding Brighton & Hove Albion, Norwich City, Queens Park Rangers and Blackpool to his CV along with Fulham and Bradford, Rehman is well placed when it comes to passing judgment on the main variations between football in the United Kingdom and his new home.
“The major differences between the English and Thai game is the tempo and speed of the game,” said the 27-year-old. “Although the players are very fast and agile the climate makes it difficult for the game to be played at the pace it is in England for 90 minutes.
“The games kick off at 6pm in the evenings but sometime temperatures can still be as high 30 degrees!
“Technically some of the players are on par with the standard in the English leagues. There are several UK based players slowly starting to play over here which is good for them and the development of the Thai Premier League in general.”
THAI FOOTY ABOUT TO EXPLODE?
The likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal currently enjoy large fanbases across Thailand and Asia in general. And with former United and England captain Bryan Robson in charge of the national team, the Premier League’s status looks set to go from strength to strength in a country which has a population of around 64 million people.
And Muangthong’s number five believes the constant exposure to English football can only be good for the game in Thailand.
“People in Thailand, as in almost the whole of Asia the general public is besotted by the English Premier League,” said Rehman. “All of the countries I have played in since coming here show the Premier League on TV so I am always up to date with my old clubs Fulham and Blackpool.
“The FA Cup final was shown in all the bars and restaurants here in Bangkok and English football at all levels is always a hot topic of conversation with the taxi drivers!
“The Thai football Association is making huge strides year in year out to improve the standard of the game and the infrastructure and this has reflected in the appointment of Bryan Robson as national team manager.
“Seven or eight of my team mates at Muangthong play for the national team and enjoy his coaching, man management and what he is teaching them about football from an English perspective.
“Year on Year the football in Asia is developing and with the World Cup being staged in Qatar in 2022 I’m sure Asian football will become a force. It would also not surprise me if we were to see Thailand at the next World Cup or the one after.”
OUTSIDE OF THE GAME
The Zesh Rehman Foundation is going from strength to strength
Away from football, Rehman is also known for his work with a number of leading charities, including his own foundation – The Zesh Rehman Foundation. It is the aim of the ZRF to nurture young people from all backgrounds and to make sport, especially football, accessible to all irrelevant of background, gender and ability.
And Rehman is delighted to reveal that foundation is continuing to grow on an almost daily basis.
“Since I have been over in Thailand the foundation has been going from strength to strength,” said Rehman. “We are very active in Bradford and the work has now extended to schools and communities in Manchester where we have been putting on football ‘Community Days’ which get kids from different backgrounds together playing football and integrating.
“Very soon we will be launching the foundations work in London and working with partners to deliver programmes to those communities which will need it the most.
“The foundation is still in its embryonic stages and we expect to be here for the long term so everything has been done with quality in meeting our aims and objectives.”