Two players — 27-year-old defender Abneet Bharti and 31-year-old winger Ryan Williams — will join the India football team’s camp for the first time in the next few days.
The camp will start in Bengaluru from Thursday to prepare for the AFC Asian Cup qualifier against Bangladesh in Dhaka, scheduled for November 18.
Defender Bharti, who holds an Indian passport, plays for Academia del Balompie Boliviano (ABB), a first division team in the Bolivian League. Perth-born Williams, who turns up for Bengaluru FC, recently got his Indian passport.
“If they live up to the expectations in the camp, then they will travel to Dhaka for the match,” All India Football Federation (AIFF) president Kalyan Chaubey told The Telegraph on Wednesday.
Interestingly, the duo’s names are not on the initial list of probables announced by the AIFF on Wednesday.
“We came to know about Bharti from the Indian embassy in Brazil. A very talented defender,” Chaubey added.
“We had to be patient in Williams’ case. Much credit goes to sports minister Manshuk Mandaviya and his ministry. They were of great help,” he added.
Williams’ Indian connection comes from his mother, who was born into an Anglo-Indian family from Mumbai.
Indian football’s superstar Sunil Chhetri, who is also Williams’ clubmate, had first mentioned the latter’s intention of wearing the India jersey during a chat with Chaubey.
“From then on, we were working on that. It took around six months to complete the formalities,” Chaubey said.
This paper had reported on May 22 that Williams was keen on obtaining Indian citizenship.
Williams is now waiting for the final clearance, and once it comes, he will join the camp under national coach Khalid Jamil. Bharti will also soon join his new teammates.
The Chaubey-led AIFF, who are always blamed for all the ills that plague the game in the country, should be credited for treading an uncharted path.
India are already out of contention for a berth in the finals of the AFC Asian Cup to be held in Saudi Arabia in 2027 after losing their home match to Singapore on October 14. They are now in a rebuilding process, and if the duo make it to the squad, then it could only help.
At 32, Sandesh Jhingan is not getting younger, and the team needs a quality centre-back to partner Anwar Ali. Bharti can fit the bill.
Bharti, during his early days in India, played for Shastri FC of New Delhi. He then moved to the youth academy of Singapore’s Geylang International.
From then on, he has been more of a journeyman, playing in leagues in Poland, Portugal, Mexico, Argentina, the Czech Republic and now Bolivia. In between, he had also returned to India for a brief stint with the ISL club Kerala Blasters.
Williams had played as a second-half substitute for the Socceroos during a friendly against South Korea in June 2019. He has played for English clubs Fulham and Portsmouth before joining Bengaluru FC in 2023.
Khalid needs more teeth in the attack, and Williams could prove handy.
Chhetri not included
Chhetri has not been included in the 23-player list of probables. Mohammed Sanan of Jamshedpur FC, who was called to the U-23 squad, will join the senior team instead.