Series 4, Episode 4 - People Like Me (with Sanjay Bhandari)

FANS

The Asian fan experience: it’s not something much is known about or which is often spoke about but, for obvious reasons, is close to Sachin’s heart, and this episode is a chance for him to give it some much-needed attention with the help of the brilliant Sanjay Bhandari.

Sanjay is chair of English football’s anti-discrimination charity Kick It Out and a man who absolutely loves the sport he has a hand in shaping. The boy from Wolverhampton who, as he outlines, was destined to follow Manchester United and has been doing just that, home and away, for the best part of 40 years.

It has been a joyful existence but also one of fear and loathing because of his ethnicity. Growing up Asian in Wolverhampton in the 1970s meant being subject to racism from the top of government, specifically in the form of local MP Enoch Powell. It was the time of Powell’s infamous Rivers of Blood speech, which as Sanjay explains had a profound, day-to-day impact on his life and love of football.

Sanjay and Sachin also talk about what it means to be an Asian fan generally – why and how the immigrant experience influences who those from Indian/Pakistani/Bangladeshi backgrounds support and why the lack of on-pitch role models matters, not to mention what can be done about it.

It’s then onto Sanjay’s role with Kick It Out - how he got it, why he took it and what he hopes to achieve, specifically in the fight against racism - before the conversation moves onto United. Sachin takes great delight in reflecting on the club’s current woes and credit to Sanjay for providing his own thoughts with calm, humour and intelligence.

And he gets his own back when the chat moves onto the club’s era of dominance under Alex Ferguson, with Sanjay explaining why of all the great moments during that period, it was a night at Selhurst Park that stands out most.

Sanjay also talks through his all-time United XI before providing a Gazza-influenced answer to the final question.

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