We have not been here long enough to forget our roots just yet

S, Manchester,UK

We have not been here long enough to forget our roots just yet! My mum and dad would eat me alive if I were to put on white and red face paint, put my legs up with a pint and hail an England victory. Parents mould us into what we are, their love for their country has been passed on to us, and probably to our kids in the future, but yes one day it will die out. Pity.
S, Manchester,UK

I really don't see what the big deal is. I am Indian but I support the Aussies wholeheartedly. They are the best and I acknowledge that.
Sonali, India

If any country recognises me and treats me as its citizen, I think I will support that country

Veerakanapthy, Sri Lanka

I am a Sri Lankan Tamil. In my school days, I felt I was not recognised as an indigenous and first-class citizen of Sri Lanka but treated as an invader from India. Believing so, I used to support the Indian team. As it is now, I've found I belong to nowhere and am particularly not welcomed in Sri Lanka so I support any other team, which plays against Sri Lanka. If any country recognises me and treats me as its citizen, I think I will support that country.
Veerakanapthy, Sri Lanka

I think there is an element of subconscious racism when it comes to second generation Asians supporting teams from their parents' home countries. Why are second generation British Europeans not questioned about their loyalties when they support say Italy or Greece in football? No one seems to mind then. I know a number of second generation Greeks who supported Greece in football a few weeks ago, there was no media outcry. As for cricket, well it's partly the fault of the English cricket establishment - they have never (until recently) made Asians welcome, it's always been a 'white middle-class affair'.

Finally, we Asians feel more at ease with a team we can identify with. Remember those biased newspaper headings over a week ago when Pakistan beat England after some dubious umpiring decisions and certain newspapers labelled the Pakistani team 'cheats' even though this was totally unfair? We Asians face prejudice everyday in British society and so are in sympathy with the Pakistani team when they face 'racist' headlines.
N. Khan, UK

We have very few people supporting the Canadian team except for the family members

Avinash, Canada

It appears that supporting a team from your motherland is normal human behaviour. This applies to everybody - Europeans, Asians, Africans etc. This is very evident in Canada where people have come from various part of the world. During soccer matches Italians are supporting Italian teams, Romanians support Romanian teams, the Portuguese support Portuguese teams etc - it does not matter who the opposition is. In Canada this is also true for cricket. We have very few people supporting the Canadian team except for the family members. There is always more support for the opposing team, may it be Indian, West Indian, Australian etc.
Avinash, Canada

I think first and sometimes second generation Asians do still feel a special bond with their country of origin. Therefore, in the event of sports, where one of the two participating countries is their country of origin, they support the country of origin. However, more and more British Asians of later generations are now supporting England when there is a match against England. So, it is just matter of time before Asians completely forget their roots. Cricket, specially its limited-over version, is much more exciting and nail-biting than it was before. So, we would naturally expect pitch invasion and all sorts of elated behaviour that we can see in an exciting football match. So, the safety of players and audiences can be achieved only by applying tight security measures in a cricket match as is done in a football match.
Khairul Hasan, Bangladesh (living in UK)

This issue should not be parallel with being disloyal. It has to be understood in the broader sense. And that means one shouldn't exclude people of European origin who have relocated to other countries within Europe or the United States. When one watches a soccer match between different countries in the United States, it is evident that second generation Americans of English/ German/ Italian and Irish background support their respective teams and not the United States. This is not about being disloyal, it is only about pride over one's roots. This should not be pointed out only within the Asian community, but in the whole world.
Guru Shenoy, United States

Does citizenship mean anything anymore?

Srikanth Mukundhan, USA

First of all, the games where people support their national (place of origin) teams is ok as long as it is based on the fact that they did well among all the participant nations. On the other hand, if people display loyalty just because it reflects their nation of origin, then it questions the very process of taking allegiance to the current state of residence. Does citizenship mean anything anymore? Will those citizens who support teams based on previous residual nationalism, rise to the standard when there is a war and they are drafted to fight their countries of origin? Respect for the rule of law indicates they have to, but question is will they ?
Srikanth Mukundhan, USA

Your report says "Much of the trouble was caused by Asian fans elated that Pakistan was beating England and Australia." Excuse me. Have the courage to say that the trouble was caused by Pakistani fans. You won't find Indians celebrating Pakistani victories, especially not in this way. When your countrymen learn to treat us with respect, recognise us for who we are, and not lump us together as Asians when convenient, you'll find barriers breaking down and more support for national teams.
Anand Patel, India

I think nationalism and sportsmanship are two different issues. You could support a country but still have sportsmanship. It all depends on what the game means to a person. If you associate nationalism and national pride with a sport, which is normal, then you should be supporting the nation you owe allegiance to. Otherwise, it does not matter which team you support if it is only for the love of the game. Invasion of pitches is simply unsportsmanlike conduct no matter which nation you support.
Udai Kumar, India (studying in US)

Supporting a team should only define you as a fan of a team. People should not be that narrow-minded to talk about loyalty when it comes to sports.
Siraj, India

People support the team with which they have an emotional connection

Devang Mehta, India

In general, people support the team with which they have an emotional connection. For most people, the choice is simple: they support the national team. Immigrants have a stronger emotional bond to their country of origin and hence they feel like supporting that country in spite of having accepted a different nationality. Those who think that Asians in the western world are being disloyal by supporting Asian teams could invest more time in figuring out why they don't feel the same way about the western nation as they feel for their country of origin. Then they can work on it.
Devang Mehta, India

As an Indian immigrant to the United States, I find a huge difference in the attitudes of second generation Indians in England and the U.S. Here most Indian-American kids think of themselves as Americans, which is apparently not true of Anglo-Asian children. It must be due to the fact that Britain has never tried to create a proper melting pot for these immigrants. It has preferred to view them as a necessary evil - a source of cheap labour from the former colonies.
Vish, U.S.A

The British were officially in India from 1857-1947, but the British always considered Britain as their homeland. Why should it be any different for minorities living in England.
Haaris Sheikh, USA

Ban the flags, firecrackers and beer bottles from sports arena

Mo Ahmed, USA

Teams and sportsmen should be admired on the basis of their achievements. The Olympic movement should discard flags and national anthems which seem to bring out the darker side of sports. Hooligans and sports riots are common in countries where there are few outlets for frustration with life and economic opportunity. Sports should be disassociated with "jingoism". Let's see the best sportsperson or the team, and let us enjoy their skills. I am a supporter of baseball, basketball and football. Ban the flags, firecrackers and beer bottles from sports arena, make everyone sit and maybe we can enjoy the sports. Let's have a good halftime show rather than breast-beating under a flag.
Mo Ahmed, USA

Unless people are never fully integrated in the society, they shall find ways to hit back at the system, be it through cricket or violence.
Razak Khan, Pakistan

Speaking not to only Asians, but if you talk to those with Greek, Italian, French, Chinese parents, in my experience they have always chosen to support the country from where they originally came from. But this is changing as the generations go on and foreigners slowly are accepted.
H Raheem, Germany

Sadly but surely, Norman Tebbit's comments that were given a decade back are still being debated. As if supporting a sports team defines loyalty to a nation or a state. The multicultural societies being developed in most parts of the world, including Canada, are faced with great barriers as they struggle for individualism. If Chinese-Canadians support Beijing for the Olympic bid, is that enough ground to raise our voices against them? It will take some time before these barriers to a truly "global-village" are overcome, and people with views not different from Mr. Tebbit to realize that societies should be above "petty patriotism".
Umair Rehman, Canada

The romantic notion of someone liking a team of their old homeland or of their ancestors should not be taken as disloyalty to their country. I have many friends who are second or third generation immigrants from Ireland or England supporting Irish or English soccer teams during the soccer matches played against the US soccer team. I enjoy and appreciate their passion. I do not call it disloyalty to the US. I think it adds colour to the game.
Amjad Masood, San Francisco, USA

Nobody asks the Aussies living in England or the English living Australia to not to support their country of origin. Why the double standards for Asians?
Ramesh.K, Australia

My family is from Pakistan but my father always liked the West Indian team. I don't think that made him disloyal to Pakistan. It is only a sport. To me it has the same importance as living in the States and wearing Italian clothing.
Rehan Junaid, USA

It is an undeniable fact that wherever Asians are located they maintain a special bond with the country of their origin, be it India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, etc... Perhaps this is due to the fact that even after generations have been born in these western countries, these people are still regarded as foreigners! This being the case, can you blame someone for supporting their national team?
A. Rastogi, Chandigarh/ India

Sportsmanship is more important than nationalism, isn't it?

Vijay, USA

There are two issues here. One is game security and the other is loyalty or perceived loyalty. My opinion is that cricket like all other games must be allowed to be played safely for the benefit of all. Enough security arrangements must be made to that effect. As for loyalty, people support a team for various reasons, so unless it gets out of hand just let it rest and play well. Sportsmanship is more important than nationalism, isn't it?
Vijay, USA

I am a Pakistani, but in football I support Italy. I don't think that makes me disloyal to my country. It's the talent of the players that counts.
Wamiq Ansari, Pakistan

It is sheer racist arrogance to suggest that anyone has a right to demand a certain type of sporting allegiance from an immigrant. The only thing that a host country can demand is observance of the law. After all, there are numerous foreigners living in India and nobody in their right mind would expect them to support anyone but their national team. For those individuals cultured enough and strong enough to deal with it, friendly rivalries with friends of other nationalities is fun and adds spice to watching a game away from home.
Rustam Roy, England

This may sound really naive but I appreciate good cricket regardless of who plays it. I go to a game to watch good batsmanship, bowling and overall good sport. Remember when sport was meant to build international bridges and tell us all we are equals? That's the ideal I still believe in. Applauding good sport and doffing one's cap to a great performance is normal and does not indicate any kind of affinity. Please leave nationalism out of sports. Sport is NOT a proxy for war although for many it seems to be that way.
J. Banerjee, UK