Soccer-Spence becomes first Muslim to play for England

BELGRADE (Reuters) -Tottenham Hotspur defender Djed Spence made history on Tuesday when he came off the bench in Belgrade to become the first Muslim to earn a senior cap for England.

Spence, 25, replaced Chelsea's Reece James in the 69th minute of England's 5-0 World Cup qualifying victory.

"It's a moment of celebration for British Muslims," Ebadur Rahman, founder of Nujum Sports, an organisation which supports more than 400 Muslim athletes through faith advice and professional counselling, said ahead of the game.

"Djed has big responsibility on his shoulders -- not only is he playing for England, he is playing for Muslims around the world because he is now a role model breaking a barrier."

Spence's first England appearance is a landmark moment for British Muslims who are under-represented in professional football in the country, despite making up 6% of the population.

"We just haven't had the Muslim players coming through," Yunus Lunat, a grassroots coach and former chair of the Football Association's race equality advisory board, told the BBC. "Muslims haven't had enough opportunities or enough role models for young, aspiring players to follow.

"It's not particularly good that it's taken until 2025 for a Muslim to play for England."

London-born Spence began his professional career with Middlesbrough before joining Tottenham in 2022. After a tough start with the London club and being loaned out he has become an important part of the squad and played in their Europa League final victory last season.

(Reporting by Martyn HermanEditing by Toby Davis)