A new wave is blowing in Bangladeshi football with the arrival of expatriate footballers one after another. Footballers who played in foreign leagues like Hamza Chowdhury, Fahamidul and Samit Som have already donned the red-green jersey. Supporters are dreaming of changing the world of football by riding on the raft of expatriate footballers. Now India is also thinking of bringing in expatriates to turn the team around. This is what is being heard, if you listen closely inside the Indian football community.
An official of the All India Football Federation (AIFF), who did not want to be named in the country’s media, said that from now on, a request has been made to the government to allow overseas Indians to play for the national team. The central government is examining the request carefully.
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While giving an interview to an all-India media outlet, the official said, “Our president has spoken to several government departments. We have received positive indications on the matter so far. We do not have anything in our hands, of course. But we are hopeful that the government will ultimately listen to us.”
The federation official also says that it is important to remember that success will not come overnight just because expatriates play in the national team jersey. According to him, if expatriates get the opportunity to play for the national team, then there are many options to build the first eleven. Moreover, these footballers play club football in many high-quality leagues. Indian football can be enriched with their experience and skills. However, one should not expect that expatriates will start winning consecutively as soon as they come.
Indian football is going through a rough patch. Even Sunil Chhetri, who returned to the team after retirement, is not able to make much of an impact. Team India lost to Hong Kong in the Asian Cup qualifiers. According to the federation official, for now, the federation has informed the government that it is better if overseas Indians play. The federation wants to utilize overseas Indians. He also supported the decision to announce a financial reward for the national team if it wins against Hong Kong.
