On November 29th, the Chelsea and Manchester United Muslim Supporters Clubs will meet for a historic, first-ever match; a fixture that is drawing attention not for the Premier League rivalry, but for its symbolism of unity and community support. Following a viral social media announcement, MUMSC co-founder and chairman Asif Javed Mahmud spoke exclusively to _Sports Gazette_ about how the event signifies football’s role as a bridge for engagement, visibility, and belonging.
**A first-of-its-kind match**
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The game will take place at Chelsea’s Cobham Training Ground, partly because the idea originated from the Chelsea side.
Asif explained: “Zohaib, who is the chair of the Chelsea Muslim Supporters Club, and I have been in contact and become good friends over the last year.
“To be fair, it was his idea. We’re not taking any credit for it. He put the idea to Chelsea, and they were interested.”
Excitement followed immediately. Existing MUMSC members were eager to participate, and new sign-ups quickly rolled in.
“There was a huge buzz from our existing members, and then we had a flurry of new people sign up because they wanted to get involved.
“Even today, we’re still getting messages from people saying, ‘How do I play?’ The Instagram post had over a million views, which is incredible.”
**Charity at the heart of the fixture**
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The 4pm match will feature 20-man, all-member squads from each club, with the event focusing on unity rather than their historic rivalry.
Asif said: “Everything’s going to be done really professionally.”
“The aim isn’t just to have two teams compete — it’s about giving a fair opportunity for all our members to get involved.”
All proceeds will be split between the Manchester United Foundation, the Chelsea Foundation, and Ummah Welfare Trust, a charity chosen jointly.
Although this first match features male members, Asif stressed that a women’s fixture is already being considered. He noted the “absolutely incredible” interest, including from TV outlets, and explained that after this initial trial, they plan to look at establishing a women’s team as they have a “very active group of female members” who are expected to get involved.
**A growing movement in football**
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The charity fixture marks another step in the rapid growth of Premier League Muslim supporters clubs, building on landmark moments like Chelsea and Manchester United’s first-ever stadium Iftars for representation and inclusion.
[Embed from Getty Images](https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/2237737971)
Asif said: “For me personally, it’s a milestone.
“The big milestone for us was the Iftar we did at Old Trafford last year, the first ever Iftar at Manchester United.
“We want to set a really good example of how to conduct ourselves as a supporters’ club, and to show other clubs, Muslim or not, the opportunities to engage and connect.”
**Integration through football**
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Despite the largely positive response, the post attracted some negativity, highlighting the wider challenges faced by Muslim communities.
Asif remains realistic.
“I think we are living in difficult times. It’s quite a scary place right now, the world, with everything that’s going on.
“I think it’s going to take more than this to do that. I’m hoping that the fact that we’re doing something that will benefit local communities, such as the foundations, will show everyone that we do care about local issues.”
He highlighted MUMSC’s involvement in last winter’s coat appeal as an example of real community impact.
“For the winter appeal, we collected about 350 coats, which is an absolutely huge amount. They’re all going to the foundation. The club had only collected 1,000 coats, which means that 35% of the donations came from our members and the work with Tudor Mosque… we are Muslim, but we are also part of the community.”
Negative social media comments did not surprise him.
“There were comments on there from non-Muslims saying the game’s gone and ‘What is this?’
“I think because it’s not involving them or they see it as a ‘them thing’ potentially.
“If there was a wider competition involving other supporters clubs that were Muslim and non-Muslim, then maybe that’s an opportunity where you can build bridges and connect.”
**Beyond the pitch**
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MUMSC began from a simple idea shared among friends: the lack of prayer space and halal food at Old Trafford.
Asif said: “I’ve been a season ticket holder for just over 10 years.
“We had discussions on-and-off three years ago about the fact that when we go to Old Trafford, there isn’t really anywhere convenient to pray, and there are limited halal food options.
“I suggested then that it’d be cool if we contacted the club and set something up… Then we found out about a year and a half ago that our friends set up the Blue Crescent City Muslim Supporters Group.
“So we thought, well, if they’ve done it, then there’s no reason why we shouldn’t do it. So that brought the idea back again, and I contacted the club and started the conversation. Alhamdulillah, here we are today, fully established.”
For Asif, the club’s support has exceeded expectations.
“The idea for us was really just to focus on two main things, and that was prayer and food. If we achieved just those two objectives by working with the club, then we’d be happy.”
The club has instead embraced far more.
“The club’s been very proactive… We think we’ve set a really good example of how other supporters clubs can look to engage with their football clubs and what the potential opportunities are.”
**A fixture that means more**
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Though it won’t solve issues of discrimination or representation, the Cobham match will highlight the role Muslim supporters clubs are playing in shaping a more inclusive football culture.
Asif said: “We’re hoping supporters from both clubs will see this as a good initiative because we’re doing it for charity.
“We’re doing it to raise money for the foundations and for Ummah Welfare Trust, all of which support people regardless of faith.”
As the football world continues to evolve, fixtures like this show the impact of collaboration, visibility, and shared purpose.
Asid said: “Inshallah, this is just the beginning.”
“We hope it inspires others to come together because that’s what football should be about.”