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Former Liverpool player Yan Dhanda urged Indian football authorities on Twitter to allow him to take up dual citizenship so he can represent India at international level.
It all started with former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand tweeting that Dhanda could soon make an appearance for India. In response, All India Football Federation (AIFF) general secretary Shaji Prabhakaran stated that Dhanda will need to apply for an Indian passport as he is currently a British citizen.
Dhanda, however, claimed that he cannot apply for an Indian passport. This is because due to India's lowly FIFA rankings, he will not be able to play in the UK or other European countries. The former Liverpool academy player, however, does hope for a middle ground.
Tweeting about the following, Dhanda said:
"Giving up my passport means I can’t play professionally in the UK and some European clubs, due to India’s FIFA ranking. Permitting OCI cards, similar to other countries, will allow me to represent the Indian football team as a dual national. I hope this can happen soon."
India are currently ranked 106th in the FIFA rankings. The highest they have reached up the ladder was 94th.
The Blues Tigers recently secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Myanmar in an international friendly. They will next face Kyrgyzstan in yet another friendly game on Tuesday (March 28).
Yan Dhanda failed to make a single first-team appearance for Liverpool
Yan Dhanda has represented England at youth level in his career. The midfielder, now 24, played four games for England U-17 back in 2014 and even scored a goal. He is, however, eligible to declare for India due to his Indian heritage through his father.
Dhanda joined Liverpool's youth system back in 2013 from West Bromwich Albion. He was part of the Reds' youth setup until 2018 before joining Swansea City on a free transfer after failing to break into the first team at Anfield. He did play 22 times for Liverpool's U-21 side, scoring five times in the process.
During his time in South Wales, Yan Dhanda played 63 times for Swansea, contributing five goals and eight assists along the way. In the summer of 2022, however, he again moved clubs on a free transfer, this time joining Ross County in Scotland.
At the time of writing, Yan Dhanda has scored three goals and provided seven assists from 29 games for Ross County across all competitions.
