Latest news with #FIFA
New Indian Express
35 minutes ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Govt stance on players of Indian origin a positive statement of intent, a ray of hope for Indian football: AIFF
NEW DELHI: All India Football Federation (AIFF) President Kalyan Chaubey finds merit in government's stance to encourage players of Indian origin living abroad to play for the country, saying it was "a ray of hope" for bettering national team's performance but he also underscored the difficulties in implementing the policy. The new Khelo Bharat Niti (National Sports Policy), which got Cabinet approval on July 1, signalled a departure from the government's earlier stand that only Indian passport holders can represent the country. "When it comes to the performance of the national team, one of the areas of the policy is something we have worked on actively -- the access to India's diaspora talent and I am happy that the policy included reference to the matter," Chaubey said a statement. "This is a positive statement of intent and the AIFF will continue to work with FIFA and the government to do all things possible to strengthen the national team. "For some years, there has been a clamour for the inclusion of players with OCI cards in the national team. We've seen countries like Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Hongkong, Singapore, the Middle Eastern Nations, and those in Europe take advantage of Naturalised Players with dual citizenship to strengthen their teams." The ban on Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) card holders from representing the country in 2008 prevented many players from contributing to India's growth in several sports. However, the 20-page Khelo Bharat Niti document stated that sports can serve as a powerful bridge between the Indian diaspora and the country, fostering emotional, cultural and social connections. "To strengthen this bond, dedicated sporting events and leagues can be organized specifically for and among the Indian diaspora," it said. "Wherever feasible, promising and prominent Indian-origin athletes living abroad may be encouraged to come back and play for India at the international level." Chaubey, though, hinted at possible obstacles in taking advantage of the policy. "Some clarifications in the Indian context might be helpful at this stage. As per the FIFA Statutes a player must hold a passport of a nation he or she wishes to represent and must produce it on match day," he said. "While an OCI card grants certain social and economic rights to an individual, it is not equivalent to an Indian passport. Given that our laws do not provide for dual citizenship, it is up to us strategies how we may capitalise on the opportunity to access the diaspora talent and integrate them into the national teams as per the FIFA regulations as well as Indian citizenship law. "The policy direction provides a ray of hope and we are intent on exploring it to its logical conclusion," he added.
News18
2 hours ago
- Politics
- News18
Kalyan Chabury Hails Khelo Bharat Niti: 'AIFF Will Continue To Work With FIFA..'
Last Updated: Kalyan Chaubey supports including Indian-origin players abroad in the national team, but added within 'FIFA regulations as well as Indian citizenship law'. All India Football Federation (AIFF) president Kalyan Chaubey supports the government's initiative to encourage Indian-origin players living abroad to represent the country, calling it 'a ray of hope" for improving the national team's performance. However, he also highlighted the challenges in implementing the policy. The new Khelo Bharat Niti (National Sports Policy), approved by the Cabinet on July 1, marks a shift from the previous government stance that only Indian passport holders can represent the country. 'When it comes to the performance of the national team, one of the areas of the policy is something we have worked on actively — the access to India's diaspora talent and I am happy that the policy included reference to the matter," Chaubey said in a statement. 'This is a positive statement of intent and the AIFF will continue to work with FIFA and the government to do all things possible to strengthen the national team. 'For some years, there has been a clamour for the inclusion of players with OCI cards in the national team. We've seen countries like Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Hongkong, Singapore, the Middle Eastern Nations, and those in Europe take advantage of Naturalised Players with dual citizenship to strengthen their teams." The ban on Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) card holders from representing the country in 2008 prevented many players from contributing to India's growth in various sports. However, the 20-page Khelo Bharat Niti document states that sports can serve as a powerful bridge between the Indian diaspora and the country, fostering emotional, cultural, and social connections. 'To strengthen this bond, dedicated sporting events and leagues can be organized specifically for and among the Indian diaspora," it said. 'Wherever feasible, promising and prominent Indian-origin athletes living abroad may be encouraged to come back and play for India at the international level." Why OCI Players Can't Play Football For India? Chaubey hinted at possible obstacles in leveraging the policy. 'Some clarifications in the Indian context might be helpful at this stage. As per the FIFA Statutes a player must hold a passport of a nation he or she wishes to represent and must produce it on match day," he said. 'While an OCI card grants certain social and economic rights to an individual, it is not equivalent to an Indian passport. Given that our laws do not provide for dual citizenship, it is up to us strategies how we may capitalise on the opportunity to access the diaspora talent and integrate them into the national teams as per the FIFA regulations as well as Indian citizenship law. 'The policy direction provides a ray of hope and we are intent on exploring it to its logical conclusion," he added. The AIFF formed a task force on this matter in August 2023, and Chaubey mentioned last month that the national federation has contacted 33 OCI players globally. 'AIFF is aligned with the law of the land, but it is actively involved in securing OCI players. It's a process. Even if there is a list of 300 OCI players, they have to be eligible to play for India," he said. 'We have made a list of such players and when we get the OCI cards we will give to them and select them by sitting with the head coach." Chaubey also stated that the Khelo Bharat Niti 2025 represents a significant policy milestone in transforming sports, particularly football. At the grassroots level, the AIFF has plans to nurture talented individuals from eight years of age up to the senior level. 'At the lowest age category, 8-10, football is made accessible for the children. When they progress to 12-13 years of age, they are introduced to competitions. 'As they further move on to the U17 and U18 levels, they get high performance training and then on to the U18s and U20s, is transition from youth to professional level," he said. tags : aiff All India Football Federation FIFA indian football Kalyan Chaubey Location : New Delhi, India, India First Published: July 05, 2025, 16:48 IST News sports » football Kalyan Chabury Hails Khelo Bharat Niti: 'AIFF Will Continue To Work With FIFA..'
Hindustan Times
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Govt stance regarding players of Indian origin a positive statement of intent: AIFF
New Delhi, All India Football Federation President Kalyan Chaubey finds merit in government's stance to encourage players of Indian origin living abroad to play for the country, saying it was "a ray of hope" for bettering national team's performance but he also underscored the difficulties in implementing the policy. Govt stance regarding players of Indian origin a positive statement of intent: AIFF The new Khelo Bharat Niti , which got Cabinet approval on July 1, signalled a departure from the government's earlier stand that only Indian passport holders can represent the country. "When it comes to the performance of the national team, one of the areas of the policy is something we have worked on actively the access to India's diaspora talent and I am happy that the policy included reference to the matter," Chaubey said a statement. "This is a positive statement of intent and the AIFF will continue to work with FIFA and the government to do all things possible to strengthen the national team. "For some years, there has been a clamour for the inclusion of players with OCI cards in the national team. We've seen countries like Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Hongkong, Singapore, the Middle Eastern Nations, and those in Europe take advantage of Naturalised Players with dual citizenship to strengthen their teams." The ban on Overseas Citizens of India card holders from representing the country in 2008 prevented many players from contributing to India's growth in several sports. However, the 20-page Khelo Bharat Niti document stated that sports can serve as a powerful bridge between the Indian diaspora and the country, fostering emotional, cultural and social connections. "To strengthen this bond, dedicated sporting events and leagues can be organized specifically for and among the Indian diaspora," it said. "Wherever feasible, promising and prominent Indian-origin athletes living abroad may be encouraged to come back and play for India at the international level." Chaubey, though, hinted at possible obstacles in taking advantage of the policy. "Some clarifications in the Indian context might be helpful at this stage. As per the FIFA Statutes a player must hold a passport of a nation he or she wishes to represent and must produce it on match day," he said. "While an OCI card grants certain social and economic rights to an individual, it is not equivalent to an Indian passport. Given that our laws do not provide for dual citizenship, it is up to us strategies how we may capitalise on the opportunity to access the diaspora talent and integrate them into the national teams as per the FIFA regulations as well as Indian citizenship law. "The policy direction provides a ray of hope and we are intent on exploring it to its logical conclusion," he added. The AIFF had formed a task force on this matter in August 2023 and Chaubey had last month said that the national federation has contacted 33 OCI players across the world. "AIFF is aligned with the law of the land, but it is actively involved in securing OCI players. It's a process. Even if there is a list of 300 OCI players, they have to be eligible to play for India," he had said. "We have made a list of such players and when we get the OCI cards we will give to them and select them by sitting with the head coach." Chaubey also said the Khelo Bharat Niti 2025 marked a significant policy milestone in transforming the role of sports, particularly from the perspective of football. He said at the grassroots level, the AIFF has plans in place to progress talented individuals from eight years of age right up to the senior level. "At the lowest age category, 8-10, football is made accessible for the children. When they progress to 12-13 years of age, they are introduced to competitions. "As they further move on to the U17 and U18 levels, they get high performance training and then on to the U18s and U20s, is transition from youth to professional level," he said. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Politico
3 hours ago
- Politics
- Politico
Trump has given up on 'America First' in one arena: Sports
In March 2018, then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson drafted a letter outlining nine categories of people who would be eligible for visas around the games, according to a copy reviewed by POLITICO. But those campaigning to bring the World Cup to the United States feared that Tillerson's word might not be persuasive enough to win over foreign representatives. 'They were calling me constantly trying to get me to come on board,' Trump recounted four months later while sitting alongside FIFA President Gianni Infantino and then-U.S. Soccer president Carlos Cordeiro. 'But it only took one call because when I heard 'World Cup,' I wanted to do it.' On May 2, Trump secretly signed his own letter striking a very different tone about international travel than his solicitor general's argument later that month before the Supreme Court that a blanket ban was necessary to protect national security. The letter, facilitated by then-adviser Jared Kushner, included Trump's personal guarantee that 'all eligible athletes, officials, and fans from all countries around the world would be able to enter the United States without discrimination.' The United Bid team traveled to more than fifty countries with the letter as a centerpiece of a final sales pitch shopped to soccer officials ahead of FIFA's vote, according to two people involved with the United Bid who were granted anonymity to discuss internal strategy. 'When someone had hesitation and said, 'Hey, there's a lot going on with the U.S. — travel bans, visa issues,'' one of the people said. 'We'd say, 'Don't worry about it. We talked to the President, and here's the letter from him saying that it's not going to be an issue.'' That June, the American bid prevailed, and organizers set out to plan games across the three countries even as Trump pushed for a 2,000-mile border wall with Mexico and blew up a Canadian-hosted G7 summit after calling Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau 'dishonest and weak.' At the time, the tournament itself was a distant abstraction, two presidential terms away, with little more for Trump to do but bask in his success helping to sell the bid. 'So let's see, 2026 — I won't be here,' Trump said with Infantino and Cordeiro in 2018. 'Maybe they'll extend the term.' His successor, Joe Biden, proceeded under Trump's commitments to FIFA about the World Cup. Federal agencies began to have preliminary conversations about visas and security funding. At the same time, 16 host cities — including 11 across the United States — were designated, each standing up a host committee to coordinate everything outside the stadiums.
Hindustan Times
5 hours ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Chelsea advances to Club World Cup semifinals with 2-1 win over Palmeiras
PHILADELPHIA — Chelsea scored the go-ahead goal on Malo Gusto's 83rd-minute shot that went in after a pair of deflections, beating Palmeiras 2-1 on Friday night for a spot in the Club World Cup semifinals. Chelsea advances to Club World Cup semifinals with 2-1 win over Palmeiras Cole Palmer put Chelsea ahead in the 16th minute but Estêvão, an 18-year-old who will transfer to Chelsea this summer, tied the score against his future club with an angled shot in the 53rd. Gusto's shot following a short corner kick appeared to deflect off defender Agustin Giay and goalkeeper Weverton and sent the Chelsea portion of 65,782 fans into a frenzy. FIFA credited Weverton with an own goal. Chelsea won't travel far for its next match, facing Fluminense on Tuesday at East Rutherford, New Jersey. Hércules came off the bench and scored in the 70th minute to lift Fluminense past Al Hilal 2-1 in Friday's earlier quarterfinal. With Chelsea's win, three of the four semifinal teams will be from Europe, with one from Brazil. The 23-year-old Palmer scored his first goal in the Club World Cup, and showed why he's widely considered one of the top attacking midfielders. He took a pass from Trevoh Chalobah and slipped the ball inside the far post. Fans made it to Lincoln Financial Field on a holiday weekend that included a strike by nearly 10,000 city workers in Philadelphia, competition from an earlier Phillies game, and a concert and fireworks show near the Philadelphia Museum of Art. FIFA had slashed tickets to as low as $11.15. FIFA president Gianni Infantino attended the game, the eighth of the tournament at the home of NFL Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. There was a pregame pregame tribute for Liverpool player Diogo Jota and his brother, André Silva, who were found dead near Zamora in northwestern Spain after the Lamborghini they were driving crashed and burst into flames on an isolated stretch of highway. Forward Liam Delap and defender Levi Colwill each got their second yellow cards of the tournament and will be suspended for the semifinal. Estêvão agreed to a deal with Chelsea last summer that moved him to Chelsea afterhe turned 18. soccer: /hub/soccer This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
