Amir Khan’s out-of-date remarks do nothing but perpetuate stereotypes

We were disappointed to read remarks made by Amir Khan this week. The boxing great chose the moment of his retirement to take a swipe at young British Asians in sport – and footballers in particular. He said they give up too easy and fall back on “excuses”. He said their diet is “appalling” and made up mainly of curries. Perhaps these were throwaway comments, but they perpetuate a myth and they need to be addressed.

We work together as part of the Asian Inclusion Scheme (Aims) at the Professional Footballers’ Association. One of us is a lawyer, the other a former player and coach, but we both love football and want to see more players of South Asian heritage in the game. We also see every week the commitment young players and their parents are putting into making that a reality. At a recent Aims event at St George’s Park we had 100 young elite players and 200 parents stay a night away from home in order to raise awareness of what it might take to make the grade. These are players who spend all their free time training and parents who will drive the length and breadth of the country to support that. Nobody here is making excuses.

As for the diet, it’s the same stuff we were hearing 30 years ago and a claim that has no empirical or scientific basis. A South Asian diet has not stopped Pakistani players from dominating the stamina-intensive sport of squash or Indian stars from reaching the top of international cricket. Kids in the UK, meanwhile, are eating a diet comparable to those of their black and white peers. Everyone loves pizza. The issue of a more balanced diet is something for everyone to think about, and at Aims we share nutritional information with parents from all cultures. Information and understanding are key.