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What's the story?
Wolverhampton Wanderers defender Danny Batth expressed his wish to play for the Indian national football team but due to several issues, it was not possible. Indian football coach Stephen Constantine said that he would be more than happy to have the player on his team.
In case you didn't know...
Born to English and Sikh parents in Brierly Hills, he started his youth career at Wolverhampton Wanderers itself in 2000. Having made his senior team appearance in 2009, he played on loan for clubs like Sheffield United and Sheffield Wednesday.
As his father is an Indian, Danny is eligible to play for India, according to FIFA rules. He had also expressed his wish to play for India earlier this year, but he revealed that residency rules and passport regulations denied it from happening.
The heart of the matter
On hearing about Danny’s International dream, Stephen Constantine said that he would love to have Danny in his team and also some of other Indian players abroad but it is the Government’s decision to allow him to play.
Many issues arose when the defender showed interest in representing the ‘Blue Tigers’ and he was very upset about the whole matter. In an interview with Sky Sports earlier this year, he said, "It's something I would like to have the option of doing. I think it's the only country in the world where they don't like players from different countries coming back to play and represent them.”
What's next
Danny Batth is not the only Indian origin player to have wished to play for the Indian football team. Michael Chopra was another Indian player and was even ready to apply for an Indian citizenship, but Stephen Constantine felt he was past his prime and had no place in the Indian team. Indian Football administrators need a solution for this problem; otherwise, Indian-origin talents would be wasted further.
Author's take
Indian football is on a rise, and the Indian government should take proper steps and give the opportunity to Indian-origin footballers abroad to play for their country. In this process, the Indian team can become stronger and establish itself as a powerhouse of Asian football.
