Vijay Goel to meet Indian-origin Wolverhampton defender to discuss PIO inclusion

Mumbai: Indian-origin English football player Danny Tanveer Batth has revealed his eagerness to play for the Indian national team.

Batth is currently plying his trade at English Championship side Wolverhampton Wanderers, which he also captains.

The 26-year-old, in a recent Facebook post, expressed his interest in representing the Blue Tigers, after a meeting with national team head coach Stephen Constantine.

Batth said that he was even willing to give up his British passport, in order to play for India.

However, the main problem that arises for Players of Indian Origin (PIO) is that they are not allowed to take up citizenship unless they stay in the country for 12 months.

Batth is not the only Indian-origin player to have shown an interest in playing for the national side. Former Newcastle United striker Michael Chopra had also shown an interest.

However, these football players would naturally find it difficult to spend 12 months in India, while they ply their trade in the much more professional setup of the United Kingdom.

Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Vijay Goel, on seeing such interest from Batth, revealed on Twitter that the government is looking towards ways to amend its laws in order to allow PIO an easier path to play for the national football team.

The Blue Tigers seem to have hit a blue patch over the last year or so, rising exponentially to the top 100 spots on the FIFA rankings. The addition of a few more quality players, who already play in a much more competitive environment in Europe, could help India push further up the charts.