Ali rejects Blackburn reports

29 December 2012 12:19
Judan Ali has denied he is set to become part of the coaching set-up at managerless Championship outfit Blackburn Rovers. Ali, a 39-year-old amateur and youth coach, became a figure of intrigue on Friday following reports himself and former Aston Villa assistant boss Kevin MacDonald were set to take up roles at Ewood Park in the wake of Henning Berg's sacking as manager. Rovers' global advisory Shebby Singh was forced to deny these claims and rejected the notion that he took training alongside Ali ahead of Saturday's npower Championship trip to Barnsley, despite both men being present at the club's Brockhall training base. Having arranged a watching brief with Singh and controversial owners Venky's to further his education as a coach - a journey that has seen him work in locations as diverse as India, St Kitts and Latvia - Ali insists he simply finds himself in the middle of the latest storm to engulf Blackburn. When asked whether he was being lined up for a position at Rovers, Ali said: "Not at all. I've had no intentions of coaching here. "It's for my personal development, observing how a professional club is operated and structured for elite players. "I want to see how it compares with those I've been with in eastern Europe, in India and in the Caribbean. "For me it's almost a once in a blue moon opportunity to be at a professional outfit such as Blackburn Rovers. "I've not come here to look at the playing side of the business at all. It's to see how the club is, the facilities, the sports science. "I've not come in to critique, judge or even take notes on how the training sessions are delivered by any members of the coaching team." On whether he was involved in any discussions regarding MacDonald or any other potential candidates, Ali added: "I'm not privy to any of this information. I don't have any input on the playing side of the club and I strictly can say that I'm being transparent. "It's a time of volatility or controversy or whatever you want to call it and I happen to be at the centre of it all." In reports linking him with Blackburn, Ali found himself referred to as a Bollywood actor owing to his part in 2007's 'Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal' - a label he is amused by given he has never taken on a conventional acting role. The film is based on his experiences as a youngster in London from an ethnic minority background trying to make the grade as a professional footballer. Ali was a trainee at Arsenal and failed to find a club in England following his release, eventually joining Spanish minnows Murcia. "I ended up working on the movie to recruit and coach and train the footballers and the actors in the movie," he explained. "I found myself being part of the cast by default, purely because I was on the pitch most of the time. "The directors and producers agreed with each other it would be more beneficial to put me in the football kit and film me while I was on the ground rather than me coming on and going off. "I was never against that, I enjoyed it. It was a great experience."

Source: team_talk