Yan Dhanda’s plea in response to All India Football Federation (AIFF) secretary-general Dr. Shaji Prabhakaran has gone viral on social media.
Indian-origin footballer Yan Dhanda has already made a name for himself in Scotland as part of the Premiership side Ross County and in the past few years, he has impressed a lot of experts with his gameplay in midfield. Dhanda, who previously played for Premier League giants Liverpool in the youth divisions, was also a part of the England U-17 football team that won the UEFA European U-17 Championship in 2017. The footballer took to social media to express hope that India will allow OCI cards to be given to India-origin footballers so that they can play for the side as a dual citizen.
”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,” Dhanda wrote on Twitter in response to All India Football Federation (AIFF) secretary-general Dr. Shaji Prabhakaran.
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 🙏🏽 https://t.co/YOfT5YmnIa
— Yan (@yandhanda) March 27, 2023
The discussion on the issue began when Prabhakaran responded to Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand who insisted that Dhanda should be included in the Indian football team.
“Love it @yandhanda… surely @indianfootball national team,” Ferdinand wrote with the video of a goal scored by Dhanda.