From Neil Taylor to Sarpreet Singh: The best OCI and PIO players who could be eligible for India

The talk surrounding the inclusion of Overseas Citizens of India and Persons of Indian Origin in the Indian football team has fueled a heated debate over the years.

Indian national team coach Igor Stimac, during the 2019 Intercontinental Cup has backed the idea while his predecessor Stephen Constantine had also spoken about the topic on many occasions during his two stints with the team.

The discussion was brought up again when All India Football Federation’s Technical Committee held a meeting last week but members felt it was not appropriate to discuss the topic at a later stage following clarity from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. It was later learnt that the AIFF decided to renew the push for including OCIs and PIOs in the national team.

India currently doesn’t allow dual citizenship and only footballers who hold an Indian passport are permitted to represent the country in international games as per the current rule which was formed by the Sports Ministry in 2008.

So far, only one player of foreign descent has featured for the Blue Tigers after midfielder Arata Izumi surrendered his Japanese passport to obtain an Indian citizenship in 2012.

Since the past few years, teams such as Asian champions Qatar and China have drafted players of foreign nationalities in their squad and achieved success.

India following a similar route would naturally strengthen the national squad but if the scenario does change someday, who would be in the team comprising of the best Indian origin players?

Omid Singh (Midfielder)

The first name on Stimac’s wishlist if the PIO and OCI become eligible is Omid Singh who was raised in Iran but his father holds an Indian passport. Singh who plays as an attacking midfielder had expressed his desire to give up Iranian passport to play for India in the past.

He recently joined East Bengal, a move that could fast-track Singh to the national set-up provided he gives up his Iranian passport. However, there has been no further sign that Singh could do so, and he may become eligible straight away if the sports ministry changes its stance on the PIO and OCI.

Stimac sees him as an ideal solution to fix India’s creative issues that has seen the team draw against Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

Karman Saini (goalkeeper)

The 24-year-old, born and raised in Canada by Indian parents is currently without a club, having last played for amateur Toronto-based football club Oakville Blue Devils.

Saini, joined the Oakville Blue Devils in 2015, who compete in the League1 Ontario season, which is a semi-professional competition. The youngster in 2017 penned a one-year contract to play for Husqvarna FF, which finished the previous season sixth in the Swedish Division one table. He returned back to Oakville Blue Devils after his stint came to an end.

Neil Taylor (left-back)

Left-back Taylor is arguably the most popular name in the list after having made a name for himself at Swansea City, becoming the first British Asian to play for a Premier League club.

The Welsh international, whose mother hails from Kolkata, has 42 international caps to his name alongside 250 appearances in the top two divisions of English football.

He began his career with Manchester City’s youth side before joining Wrexham in Wales. Taylor signed for Swansea in 2010, spending six seasons with the Swans before moving to Aston Villa.

The full-back even has an international goal to his name which came against Russia in the 2016 Euro during Wales’ thrilling run to the semi-finals.

Dinesh Gillega (defender)

AFC Bournemouth’s Gillega is an exciting prospect who has attracted a lot of interest after signing a professional contract with the Cherries in 2018.

The centre-back, who is of Indian heritage, played Futsal since a young age which aided his ambition to become a professional footballer.

After playing for Watford’s youth academy, he joined Bournemouth in 2016. The defender never got a chance to play for the first team although he did train with them for a brief period.

He spent the previous season on loan at National League Billericay Town.

Danny Batth (centre-back)

Stoke City’s Batth is another notable name on the list, having played in the Premier League and the EFL Championship. Known for strong aerial prowess and being a no-nonsense defender capable of scoring goals, Batth was born to an Indian father who hails from Punjab.

The defender began his career with Wolverhampton Wanderers, progressing through the ranks from the youth academy. He captained the side both at the youth level as well as the senior team. He dropped down the pecking order and moved to Middlesbrough on loan during the 2018-’19 season before securing a permanent deal with Stoke City.

Earlier in 2017, Batth had made his intention clear to play for the Indian team and even met Constantine on the sidelines of a Fifa World Cup Qualifier camp in Mumbai. The then sports minister Vijay Goel was also open to hold talks with the centre-back over playing for India but nothing materialised.

Dilan Markanday (right-back)

Another promising prospect of Indian heritage who has made a name in Tottenham Hotspur’s junior set-up, Dilan Markanday is one to watch out for.

The 18-year-old is an attacking midfielder by trade but is accustomed to play anywhere across the frontline or as a full-back.

He was a key member of Spurs’ youth side that finished runners-up in the Under-18 Premier League during the 2018-’19 season, playing more games than any other player besides finding the net on 11 occasions.

Part of Spurs’ U-23 squad in the ongoing season, Markanday has scored three goals and provided four assists from 25 games so far.

Aryn Williams (midfielder)

Many Indian fans may be familiar with Williams, the Australian having spent two seasons at Imphal-based outfit Neroca FC. A versatile player capable of playing as defensive midfielder or centre-back, Aryn was a key member of Neroca’s squad which finished runners-up during the 2017-’18 I-League season behind Minerva Punjab.

Williams’ mother hails from Mumbai and his maternal grandfather has also turned up for various other clubs from the city.

His other two siblings are also professional footballers. His twin brother Ryan, currently with Portsmouth, has spent most of his career in England and has played for Australia. The eldest among the three, Rhys, has also represented the Socceroos 14 times and currently plays for Saudi Arabian club Al-Qadsiah.

Aryn, who is eligible to play for both England and Australia, had earlier come out and said he was trying to acquire an Indian passport to become eligible to feature for the Blue Tigers at the 2019 Asian Cup. He didn’t make the cut to the probables list as it was rumoured that he failed to get an Indian passport.

Harmeet Singh (midfielder)

Harmeet was born and raised in Olso, Norway but his parents belong to Ludhiana. They migrated to Europe in the 1980s. Aged 14, he signed his first professional contract for Norwegian team Valerenga. Harmeet has represented Norway at youth level from the age of 15-21 and has also made his debut for the senior team in 2009, appearing in five games till now.

Harmeet once caught the eye of former Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola when he scored for Valeranga against the Spanish side during a friendly in 2010. His ability to control the pace of the game and his sublime ball-playing skills earned the central midfielder the moniker as the ‘Norwegian Iniesta’ by European media outlets.

After leaving Valerenge, the midfielder then featured for eight different clubs including Feyenoord and Modle – where he played under current Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

The 29-year-old in an interview with CNN last year had expressed his desire to represent India.

“It was nice to play for Norway. But if the chance to play for India was there, I would probably choose India, because I could do more for India.”

Sarpreet Singh (midfielder)

Sarpreet was born and raised in Auckland to Indian parents stole the headlines last year when he became the first Indian origin player to play in the Bundesliga, making his debut for Bayern Munich as a substitute. The 21-year-old’s has drawn comparisons with Mesut Ozil for his varied range of passing.

The attacking midfielder kick-started his professional career with A-League outfit Wellington Phoenix in 2015. He was promoted to the senior team two years later after impressing for the reserves.

The playmaker caught the eye of Bayern scouts during the 2019 Fifa U-20 World Cup in Poland and signed a three-year deal with the Bundesliga giants’ reserve team. The midfielder was soon fast-tracked into the first team after impressing coach former Bayern coach Niko Kovac during the pre-season ahead of the 2019-’20 campaign.

Luciano Narsingh (winger)

A versatile winger who is known for his pace, dribbling and exceptional crossing ability, Narsingh currently plies his trade in the Eredivisie for Feyenoord and for Netherlands’ national team.

The 29-year-old forward has an elder brother, Furdjel who also holds Dutch citizenship. The duo have Indian roots as their grandparents were immigrant workers from Andhra Pradesh before moving to Suriname, a former Dutch colony where they worked in plantations.

The former PSV Eindhoven forward secured his move to the Premier League when he signed for Swansea City on a two-year contract in 2017 during the January transfer window. He returned to the Eredivisie following the expiration of his contract.

Yan Dhanda (attacking midfielder/winger)

Liverpool prodigy Dhanda’s name has been on every Indian football fan’s lips. Born to an English mother and a father who hails from Punjab, Dhanda came into the spotlight in 2015 when he became the first player of Indian origin to pen a professional contract with the Merseyside outfit.

The 21-year-old, who was part of West Bromwich Albion’s youth set-up, has also represented England at Under-16 and Under-17 level.

At Liverpool, Dhanda played for the Under-18 and Under-23 sides but never managed to break into the senior team. He left the Reds for Swansea City FC ahead of the 2018-’19 EFL Championship season in search of first-team football. He made 12 appearances during the league season so far, scoring three goals and supplying one assist.

Luther Singh (striker)

Luther was born in Soweto, Johannesburg but has Indian roots thanks to his Sikh grandfather. The striker, who started his career at the Stars of Africa Academy, is a versatile forward capable of playing as a number 10, winger or as an auxiliary striker.

He began his professional career after joining second-tier Swedish side GAIS FC in 2015, and then signed for Portuguese club Braga’s reserve team in January 2017. According to his agent, Luther even rejected contracts from Real Madrid’s and Swansea reserve sides before signing for Braga.

The striker shone for South Africa at during their third-place finish at the Under-23 Africa Cup of Nations, helping them book their place at the Tokyo Olympics. Besides that, he has five international caps to his name for the national team.