Kashmir

A new “international” team has been formed to join the ranks of  other regionally based or stateless teams: Kashmir FA. Their first game was held at Bradford (Park Avenue)’s Horsfall Stadium, with Chagos Islands as the opponents.

I’ve previously talked about the Chagos Islands team, having seen a couple of their matches in recent years. Kashmir FA are Bradford based, and many of their players in this first game are from local semi-pro and amateur teams. Of course anything professing to represent Kashmir, a geographical region currently administered and contested by three states (China, Pakistan & India), is profoundly political. The flags on display are of of Azad Kashmir, one of the Pakistan administered Kashmiri territories, but there was at least some discussion leading up to the match of building a team from all Kashmiri territories, across current national boundaries. 

The team were well supported by the local community, who came out in their hundreds - perhaps aided by the free entrance. Kashmir looked a well coached and organised team, and the match itself was consequently very one-sided. It finished 8-0 and could have been a lot more. 

An entertaining afternoon, some football and a lesson in British colonial history all in one.