Football: Is Arata Izmui the answer to Indian midfield woes?

On 24th August 2012, Arata Izmui (who holds the Indian name Neelkanth Khambholja) was given Indian citizenship by Government of India. Now, he is eligible for selection for the Indian National Football team.

Indian National football team is way below its potential. I see India as a contender for the top 100′s as far as FIFA ranking goes. Induction of players with the experience of Arata is very important for the team to get glory abroad and get promoted in the rankings.

Given the experience he got in Singapore and Japan, it will be very helpful for Wim Koeverman’s young Indian side. His attributes are his sprinting speed, which we rarely see as far as Indian football is concerned. If the Indian team plays him as a winger, he will be a very good counter attack option, thus helping us to cause some major serious upsets in international football. He has been living in India for almost 7 years, starting his career here with East bengal, finishing with 1 goal and 10 assists in 14 games for East Bengal.

He is the kind of player who will not win many Man Of the Match awards, but will definitely contribute in winning matches for the team. India’s loss to Singapore in the friendly calls for a selection of a more solid defense and midfield. The last international friendly saw pathetic, and a novice like performance from our side. Our defenders did not have a clue as to how to mark the opposition forwards. The need for the hour was a strong and bulky forward to counter the bodies of the Singapore team. Wim Koeverman’s realised only in the 70th minute when India was 2-0 down. He got Robin Singh in place of Sunil Chhetri. At least for 20 minutes, things looked better for us. So, we can be sure that Arata’s inclusion will boost our midfield.

In international football, there should be no shame in inducting PIO’s (Person of Indian Origin) to the national team. Many teams have done in the past, like Germany , Pakistan, New Zealand, Singapore, Australia and many Arab countries. Michael Chopra almost made a debut for India when he was listed in the squad to play against Qatar in an international friendly in 2011. But given his British passport, it was yet another hassle. Players like Harmeet Singh, who already has 3 caps for Norway national football team, have already stated that their first preference will be the Indian Football team. Swansea player Neil Taylor is another name when it comes for PIO’s.

I hope my advice must be taken seriously by our selection team!