What’s the story?
Two young Kashmiri footballers, Basit Ahmed and Mohammed Asrar Rehbar, have been roped in by Sociedad Deportiva Lenense, a 3rd division professional club in Spain.
Both the players represented their local clubs in Kashmir at domestic tournaments during which their performances caught the eye of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) which has partnered with Football Next Foundation, with an aim to identify and hone the best footballing talent from the valley.
“The most important aspect here is that for the first time an Indian player will be plying their trade in the first teams of all three of Spain’s divisions. Jammu and Kashmir has always had several participants in the national league, and now they’re making their presence felt at the top of the hierarchy as well. Players such as Ishfaq and Mehrajudding are the current heroes, and these two are the budding prodigies,” a CRPF spokesperson told Sportskeeda.
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The CRPF, which is primarily accused of taking harsh action on protestors in the valley, decided to set up this initiative in order to encourage the Kashmiri youth to take up sports. This move is significant because it comes at a time when the valley is still reeling from the prolonged violence following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen terrorist Burhan Wani.
An esteemed three-member selection committee comprising of Anit Ghosh, Ishfaq Ahmed and Hilal Rasool Parray conducted trials for these selections, post which Basit and Rehbar were shortlisted and made the cut.
The heart of the matter
The duo of Basit Ahmed and Mohammed Asrar Rehbar have been contracted by Spanish club Sociedad Deportiva Lenense for the coming 2017 January window. While Basit will play in the capacity of a centre-forward, Asrar will be employed as a right winger.
Students of the 12th grade, both the boys hail from Srinagar and have played in the national juniors before being selected to represent the Spanish club in Spain’s 3rd division.
Sportskeeda’s take
The boys will tread a long path from the shadows of a violent environment in Kashmir to those of football grounds in Spain, which in itself is a heartening thing. We hope that the CRPF and other authorities alike, come up with several such initiatives that tap talent at the grassroot level and further encourage the youth to follow sports, allowing them to take a step away from their harsh surroundings.
