Indian origin players in national football team?

PTI

New Delhi, December 18

The Indian football federation (AIFF) is exploring the possibility of selecting Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) for national duty and will approach 24 such players soon, president Kalyan Chaubey said.

The inclusion of PIO and Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) players in the national team has been a topic of debate for a long time.

National team head coach Igor Stimac has already advocated the need to select PIO players for the Indian team. But it is easier said than done as the Indian law does not allow dual citizenship.

If PIO players want to play for India, they have to take up Indian citizenship. A person must also stay in India for 12 months before applying for citizenship.

“We are looking to approach 24 PIO players who are playing across the world. But you know there is the issue of dual citizenship (not being permitted to play for India). So, we have to see how this can be done within the framework of Central Government’s rules,” Chaubey said. “We are having internal discussions on the matter and will come out with more details once more clarity is established.”

When Englishman Bob Houghton was the head coach of the national team from 2006 to 2011, there were some efforts to approach Michael Chopra, who had played for England age group teams and for clubs like Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest.

But a 2008 government rule dashed all hopes of PIO players as they required to become Indian citizens if they aspire to play for the country. The government made PIO and OCI card holders ineligible to represent India unless they give up their foreign citizenship and get Indian passports.

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