Former Liverpool, Arsenal and Millwall footballer Jimmy Carter considers resilience and his decision was key to becoming the first Asian footballer of the Premier League and defying racism.
States the same strong character and mindset is a must in watching more Asians split in the game.
Despite there now being 3,700 professional soccer players from the English sport, just 11 are out of a British Asian background, making up for only 0.3 per cent of the full total.
“We talk about the characters but what finally brings players is not skill but the all-purpose bundle,” Carter told Sky Sports News as part of the’Tackling Racism’ series focusing on British Asians.
“It is the nature and mentality of the person that sees footballer make itall.
“Dogged determination and durability as well as the idea that nothing will phase you is definitely a strong part of it.
“It’s when you face adversity and how you respond that matters and if you do not have the strength of character you’re never likely to return.
“Racial abuse was never going to knock me off my attention to develop into the player I understood I’d be.
“There was no Plan B to get me personally , I had just one purpose and, for me personally, I had been destined to be a professional soccer player by hook or by crook, nobody was likely to get in my way.”
This was Carter determination to reach the greatest degree, he felt the necessity to show his heritage, with his history coming into light.
“I’m very pleased with my heritage, I had been brought up with my Dad as a Indian child living on rice and curry daily,” Carter explained.
“It wasn’t a conscious decision of holding the information, I just wanted to get on with what I wished to do and I just didn’t think it was relevant.
“Of course, from a young age, I was aware of racism for my skin color.
“It shows I’m not entirely English but to some degree, because my surname was Carter rather than Asian sounding, then the misuse and racism I encountered was not that bad.
“Had I had ever been called’Singh’ or’Patel’ or something stereotypical then it certainly would have been ten times worse. So I suppose I’got out of it’ for big sections of my livelihood.”
Despite this, Carter still recalls becoming racial abuse throughout his life – in the first days of enjoying district football in south London against”tough kids in the likes of Blackheath” into Tuesday night trips up north as an expert.
“When you’re young it’s not nice getting abuse but that I always tried to be the bigger man,” Carter said.
“And I remember going to some off reasons, especially up north, that one guy, he’s coming at me with so much hatred in his head
“He’s hurling abuse at me, spitting and that I was just thinking – what’s this guy on?
“So I just smiled at him and it appeared to make him worse – I only thought he’d so much hatred for me, he must have massive problems.
“But, at the end of the day, it is the best way to deal with this.”
Throughout the interview, Carter speaks about his father and his background in the Indian infantry meant a military upbringing that ultimately helped him to achieve his objective of being a footballer.
Despite acknowledging his father’s insistence on early-morning runs in the freezing cold to provide Carter”one up” on his district soccer team-mates, Carter says heavy down his Dad was a”tender, placid man”.
And it was for this very reason, Carter admits that he never told his dad about some of the abuse he faced.
“I never went home and told me Dad I obtained racial abuse because I understand just how much that would have hurt him – he would have felt bad for me and felt accountable,” he explained.
“He would have believed that due to the color of the skin, I had been becoming stick and abuse and that I just didn’t want that for him.”
View the’Tackling Racism’ show on Sky Sports News and Sky Sports Main Event at 9pm.

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