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The All India Football Federation (AIFF) unveiled a new initiative this Monday to assess the possibility of Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) and Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) representing India's national football squads. This move is being spearheaded under the aegis of AIFF president Kalyan Chaubey.
Currently, Indian regulations stipulate that for PIOs and OCIs to don the national colours in international sports tournaments, they must first acquire Indian citizenship. However, this new task force aims to explore the feasibility of these regulations vis-à-vis the football arena.
To carry out this exploration, the Punjab Football Association's president, Samir Thapar, has been appointed as the chair. AIFF president, Chaubey, after dialogues with Thapar and the AIFF’s Executive Committee, will be responsible for selecting the other committee members. Their collective mandate will be to complete and present their findings by January 31 of the upcoming year.
Chaubey, in a statement, expressed the federation's pride in the numerous PIO and OCI footballers who have showcased their mettle in international leagues. He stated, "It is a matter of great pride for us that many such footballers are playing in different countries with distinction and have made a name for themselves in the tough world of professional football."
While cognizant of the prevailing legal constraints, the AIFF sees this task force as the beginning of a broader dialogue. Chaubey elucidated, “We are aware that as per the existing law of the land, OCIs and PIOs are not allowed to represent India in international sporting events unless they adopt Indian citizenship. However, if we want to open up a dialogue and look into various ways of allowing such players to represent the Indian Football Teams, then we need concrete and comprehensive data to back up our arguments, which is why we have constituted this Task Force.”
The primary ambition is clear: construct a robust database encompassing OCI and PIO football talent globally, and discern avenues through which they can be integrated to elevate Indian football's stature.
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