Aside from a lack of infrastructure and adequate training for youth players, cultural pressure and racial stereotyping have also affected the development of India as a nation and the prevention of its players succeeding in Europe.

It has been argued that before Premiership clubs attempt to break the Indian market, they should do more to scout the Asian communities living in their areas. For example, 250,000 Asians reside in West Ham, yet not one from that community has made the Hammers’ first team squad.

England is home to 40% of Europe’s ethnic-Indian population, and of that 1.6m, not one has made it at Premiership level. When so little is done to nurture talent at home, more strength is given to the sceptical perspective that the underlying motive of clubs investing in India is purely to sell shirts. The importance of cultural norms in Asian communities is also hindering the chances of Asian hopefuls. Piara Powar, director of anti-racism group ‘Kick It Out’, says of this:

“Asian families are very aspirational, like most immigrant populations. They see education as the means of moving on, so there’s been reluctance to offer kids to the academy system. They can’t see a career path at the end of it”

The traditional Asian attitudes of some Asian families mean potential stars from this ethnic background fail to get the familial support required if the player is to make a breakthrough into football, with the stereotype of the Asian student entering medicine or business still relevant.

Furthermore, racist chanting by fans, racist abuse by opposition players and even team-mates is another obvious deterrent for young Asian players, as Netan Sansara, a promising Asian (one of only five Asians playing professional football in England) youngster at Walsall, reveals:

“A lot of people don’t realise that it goes on. Even now, I don’t think people at Walsall know what I went through. If you get called ‘Paki’ every day, of course it’s going to get to you. I just used to smile and say ‘I’m not Pakistani, I’m an Indian’ but it was hard to laugh it off. They said it was just banter and eventually I tried to accept that, because if you complain too much people can say, ‘He’s using it as an excuse.’ But ‘Paki?’ Banter? No chance.”

Verbal abuse to those Asians who actually make a career out of football is one thing, but there is also a belief that institutional racism affects the scouting process, meaning less Asian players are being picked up instead of white and black players. Perhaps this is why no players have come from the 250,000-strong Asian community in West Ham. Although this is an extreme explanation, it, coupled with the cultural clash between education and football in the Asian mindset, doesn’t seem so farfetched.

As is the case in India, there is a lack of coaching expertise in Asian communities in England, meaning talent is not being fully utilised. The example many are looking towards is the manner in which Guus Hiddink brought Ji-Sung Park and Lee Young-Pyo to Holland, after learning of their talent while in charge of the South Korean national side.

And it isn’t as if there is a dearth of talent in India, with some of the younger players in the national side being offered contracts in the Portuguese second division. Yet, the money offered was less than they earned by playing in the I-league, meaning none made the jump. If a few players can make it at a decent European side, perhaps Indian football will then come forward in leaps and bounds.