Rochdale's Asia FC Under 16s side stopped it being a Scottish double at a Nationwide football tournament held in Liverpool.

The youngsters clinched the trophy after a nervy penalty shoot-out against Glasgow Ansar. Asia FC's Asim Rabbani finished top scorer with 11 goals during the competition and midfield maestro Mohamad Saffraz was voted player of the tournament.

The 1990 City of Culture held the tournament in a bid to raise the profile of Asian players in the region.

Glasgow Ansar lifted the seniors' title in a dramatic victory on penalties against the 49ers DK from London.

Festival Organiser Majid Lavji, said, ''I'm delighted for Mohamad and the other players who caught the eye of the clubs. The whole tournament was about raising the profile of Asian players in the UK and giving them the opportunity to showcase their skills in front of professional clubs. We were hoping some of the big clubs would offer trials and that is exactly what happened.

"Many of the scouts, like the one from Manchester United, also said they will be looking again at many of them teams who played this weekend. I hope the lads chosen on the day make the most of it and blaze a trail for others to follow.

''Liverpool was the perfect host for this tournament. We had over a thousand spectators and more than 600 players taking part and the signs for a bigger and better tournament next year look exceptionally good.''

Former England and Liverpool FC ace John Barnes was guest of honour at the tournament and gave the event, held at the Heron Eccles Playing Fields In Allerton, both thumbs up.

He said, ''I was delighted to see that sporting bodies are now working together to get more ethnic players into the game. A lot of work still needs to be done, but a tournament like this is a big step in the right direction.''

Councillor Warren Bradley, Executive Member for Leisure and Culture, said, ''The weekend was a big win for football. Sport of any kind should be open to all. I'm thrilled that work is now underway to create a level playing field so that the colour of your skin should no longer be a reason not to excel at the highest level.''