The All India Football Federation has made a historic move by naming two foreign-origin players in India’s squad for their upcoming AFC Asian Cup Qualifier game against Bangladesh. The match will take place on Tuesday, November 18. Ryan Williams, who has played for Australia in the past, was named in the side alongside Abhneet Bharti. The former plies his trade for Bengaluru FC in the Indian Super League and claims Indian ancestry via his mother, who was born in an Anglo-Indian family in Bombay.
Bharti, born in Nepal, now plays for Academia del Balompie Boliviano (ABB) in Bolivia’s top division. The centre-back previously played for Shastri FC in Delhi before moving abroad. Williams joined the squad, but Bharti could not, as his club withheld release due to logistical issues. He must wait for the next FIFA window to join.
India head coach Khalid Jamil will be delighted by the presence of these players, especially Williams, since they can add a lot of depth to his squad. The striker, who captained Bengaluru for several games in the AIFF Super Cup in Goa, is known to be precise with his shooting inside the box, and also sets his colleagues up with through balls and weighted passes.
This match against Bangladesh is inconsequential for India as they have already been knocked out of the race and will not make it to the Asian Cup. They have not won even one out of the four matches they have played so far in this competition, and as a result, are ranked last in the table. Naturally, Jamil will treat this game as a good practice in transition for his team. Every youngster who could not be accommodated in the previous FIFA windows will be given an opportunity to prove his mettle.
To this end, Jamil also dropped several senior players from the squad, such as Subhasish Bose, Deepak Tangri, Liston Colaco, and Chinglensana Singh. With the experienced Sunil Chhetri too hanging up his boots from international football, the stage is set for a new-look Team India to take on Bangladesh and showcase their wares. Up till now, India had not looked at foreign players or given them passports. However, under Jamil and President Kalyan Chaubey, they decided to take the bold step.
