The All India Football Federation [AIFF] is looking to get PIOs [Persons of Indian Origin] and OCIs [Overseas Citizens of India] to represent India’s national football teams after the AIFF president, Kalyan Chaubey, said they had drawn up a list of candidates they will approach. While it may sound promising on paper, executing this idea is going to be a tall order. For this to happen, the AIFF needs to either:

  • Convince players, some of whom may be at the peak of their careers, to give up their foreign passports – which would significantly reduce their chances of playing abroad,

    OR

  • Seek a change in India’s law, which currently does not permit non-Indian citizens, whether OCI or PIO, to represent a national team.

Has this happened before?

Attempts were made earlier, but none bore fruit. There was an effort made back in the late 2000s to bring on Michael Chopra, who had played for England age group teams and for clubs like Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest, to play for India but it did not materialize.

While the “importing” of athletes hasn’t happened in India yet, the concept is widely implemented across Arab countries and even in China where foreign athletes have been naturalized, thereby allowing them to switch nationalities and play for the country they have acquired citizenship into.

So wait, why can’t PIOs and OCIs play for India currently?

Because the existing laws don’t allow for dual citizenship. PIOs and OCIs will need to surrender their existing passports and adopt Indian citizenship if they want to play for the country. In addition to this, the athlete must also stay in India for a minimum period of 12 months before applying for citizenship.

Why don’t PIOs give up their foreign citizenship?

The prime reason why many players of Indian origin hesitate to give up their foreign passports is because of the strict work permit rules in Europe for athletes from countries whose FIFA ranking is higher than 70. As Yan Dhanda, an English player of Indian origin, explained: “Giving up my passport means I can’t play professionally in the UK and some European clubs, due to India’s FIFA ranking.”

In fact, it was the same rule that also prevented Sunil Chhetri from playing for English club Queens Park Rangers in 2009. QPR wanted to sign Chhetri on a three-year deal, but he was denied a United Kingdom work permit since India was not ranked in the top 70 of the FIFA rankings. Today, India is ranked #102 in the world.

Any examples of Indian origin footballers who have played for India?

Arata Izumi. The midfielder gave up his Japanese passport and gained Indian citizenship in 2012, went on to play nine matches for India and was part of the team that finished runner-up at the 2013 SAFF Championship.

Izumi continued playing club football in India – in the I-League first and then in the Indian Super League – until 2018 and is now the coach of Inter Kashi in the I-League.

Who are some of the best Indian-origin players that the AIFF could approach?

  • Dilan Markanday, 22, Winger: Currently at EFL Championship side Blackburn Rovers and earlier played for Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur, where he became the first ever British Asian, and first player of Indian descent, to represent the men’s first team in a competitive match

  • Danny Batth, 33, Centre Back: Has played all through the English football league system and was at Wolverhampton Wanderers for five seasons. He then played for Stoke City and Sunderland, before moving to Norwich City this year. He’s slightly on the older side of things but comes with a massive amount of experience.

  • Sarpreet Singh, 24, Attacking Midfielder: Spent three years at the Bayern Munich reserve team and made two appearances for the first team. Currently plays for Hansa Rostock in the second division of the Bundesliga. Sarpreet played a key role in New Zealand’s win over India in the 2018 Intercontinental Cup.

  • Yan Dhanda, 25, Winger: A highly-rated attacking midfielder who cut his teeth at the Liverpool youth team. Played four seasons with Swansea City and currently plies his trade for Scottish Premiership club Ross County. He has openly expressed his desire to play for India.

  • Manprit Sarkaria, 27, Winger: Plays for Austrian club Sturm Graz, and was one of their leading scorers last season.

Will the “import” of players of Indian origin help Indian football?

Yes, and no. It could work as a short-term solution to elevate the standard of Indian football but may not be all that impactful in the long run. If the more established “imported” players take up key positions on the field, as the foreigners do in the ISL, then it may do more harm than good.

Plus, the use of naturalized or “imported” players is typically successful in countries that do not have the backing of grassroots development, such as Afghanistan and Pakistan, who have recently called up their diaspora players. However, for a country like India that has a decent grassroots system and multiple tiers of footballing action, PIOs and OCIs may not have a lasting impact.