Meet the young CONIFA Asia Cup hero who flew 3,000 miles to fire his side to the World Cup

Meet Yaathav Lakshman, who flew all the way from Toronto to make his international debut for Tamil Eelam at the CONIFA Asia Cup in London this summer. The 17-year-old midfielder fired his country to glory at the Xcel Sports Hub in Walton-on-Thames as they secured qualification for the World Cup next year.

Tamil Eelam stormed past East Turkistan in the final, winning the competition for the second time in two years. Playing a key role in Mathan Uthayanan's side, Lakshman featured in each of his country's three games at the tournament, scoring one goal and providing one assist.

Despite having had little time to prepare for the Asia Cup, touching down in the United Kingdom just days before the first match, the York United FC academy prospect hit the ground running. Donning the historic black kit, Lakshman was determined to honour those who have supported him.

Tamil Eelam is a proposed independent state in the northern and eastern parts of Sri Lanka. On representing his country, Lakshman said: "I'm extremely proud. You know, representing the Tamil community as a soccer player has always been a dream of mine, of my parents, of my friends.

"I'm really representing, you know, the fallen soldiers who really put their heart into, you know, giving us a better life. So, yeah, I'm extremely proud."

The first Tamil Eelam football team was founded in Killinochi in 2003. Four years later, they were forced to retire due to restrictions within Sri Lanka that prevented them from playing on the international stage.

With help from Jana, Ragesh Nambiar, who remains the president and head coach, created the Tamil Eelam Association in 2012 via the Global Tamil Youth League. The TEFA have since launched a women's team, with futsal and para sides next on the agenda.

Tamil Eelam enjoyed a 4-0 win over Tibet in their first game at the CONIFA Asia Cup. Then, they faced East Turkistan; Lakshman fired his country into the lead with a brilliant strike from range on the half-hour mark before setting up the second shortly after the break.

The teenager was replaced a few moments later, bringing the end to an excellent performance. Lakshman said: "I'm 17. I’m nearing that age where, you know, things need to start to move for me to go pro.

"My dream from the age of three has always been to go professional. It's always been a dream of mine for the competition to be placed in a place like the UK. It's really a good opportunity. I'm trying to seize it as much as possible, and, you know, go as far as I can."

On the York United FC academy prospect's display, Uthayanan said: "This is a new bunch of lads. I think nearly 65 per cent of them don't even know each other.

"They've been roped in from all over the world. We're talking Canada. All across Europe. Their quality of football speaks for itself. We knew what they could do."

The Tamil Eelam team manager added: "Our captain today, Thomas from Norway, has not kicked a ball with these guys at all. He landed yesterday, just before Tibet’s game.

"He wasn't even there for the training. He came in and we captained him. That's how much confidence we have in him, because he's he's a tough player. He's been with us for six years now. We know what he can do. We know how he drives and pushes, and we love that."

Thomas Aloyseous dropped everything to play for Tamil Eelam this summer. He said: "I'm from Norway. So I came from Tromsø, north of Norway. I just reached the game. Yesterday, I came like one hour before. I think this is my sixth year [playing for Tamil Eelam]."

Aloyseous, who previously played for Finnsnes IL in the Norwegian second division, added: "I'm very proud. From the last Asian Cup, there are not that many players left. There are a lot of new players. I'm just trying my best to do the best for everyone."

On Lakshman, Aloyseous, who is nicknamed the 'White Tiger' by his teammates, added: "I think you had a lot of good through balls to me and to the other players, a lot of good dribbling from the back, so I think he had a pretty good performance."

Tamil Eelam met East Turkistan – again – in the final of the CONIFA Asia Cup a few days later, winning 5-0. Lakshman has since returned to training for York United FC in Toronto, Canada, and he hopes to become the next Jude Bellingham.

Lakshman said: "Thomas is a great role model, but I would say, off of our team, excluding our team, my idol has always been Cristiano Ronaldo. His effort, his work ethic, what he eats, when he sleeps, he’s definitely been an idol of mine.

"But, in terms of how I play, I would say a recent star, Jude Bellingham. He likes to put enough emphasis on the defence and on the offence. So, I mean, yeah, those are probably the two role models."

Tamil Eelam may have defended their title as the CONIFA Asia Cup champions, but East Turkistan, a region in northwestern China inhabited by Turkic peoples such as the Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, Uzbeks, and Tatars, put up a great fight.

Abdushukur Abuduryim scored East Turkistan's first goal of the CONIFA Asia Cup this summer, netting a brilliant header in the dying embers of a 2-1 defeat to Tamil Eelam in the group stages. Elshat Eslam's side had a brilliant following at the Xcel Sports Hub.

Abuduryim, who also travelled from Norway to play at the tournament, said: "It means a lot. It’s my nationality, it's my identity. When you play for the badge, you play not just for yourself, but you play for a whole country.

"Every pass you make is for East Turkistan, every shot you make is for East Turkistan, every run you make is for East Turkistan. So, I'm really proud that I'm playing for this team."

On the support in the stands, the East Turkistan boss said: "During the game, we saw many of the community, and even some friends and fans from Sweden and Germany. It's a great honour. We enjoyed it a lot."

Elshat added: "In the end, for every single one of us, it's a great honour. We know why we are here, why we're participating, why we’re wearing our flag, our badge. We want to also take this opportunity to show the world who is East Turkistan."

Shortly before the 2025 CONIFA Asia Cup kicked off in Walton-on-Thames, the English Football Association formally recognised the tournament as an official competition. Thanks to the likes of Lakshman, Aloyseous and Uthayanan from Tamil Eelam, as well as Eslam and Abuduryim from East Turkistan, there's a bright future ahead for the next generation.

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