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Anwar Ali has had to leave the Mumbai City FC team camp due to a possible heart problem. He was called up to the Indian national team recently but got diagnosed with a congenital heart situation after a medical check-up in Mumbai.
While the details are not clear, it has been reported that Ali will now fly to France to confirm the diagnosis and chart out a plan for rehabilitation. Unconfirmed reports emerging on social media have claimed that Ali would not be able to play football for the rest of his life. Such reports should not be taken seriously unless and until a confirmed medical report of the situation is published.
Ali was one of the most promising members of the U-17 World Cup squad in 2017 and started all three games for the Blue Colts in the showpiece event. Anwar was born in Adampur, a small town in the district of Jalandhar, most famously known for the second-largest Indian Air Force base in the country that is situated there. Ali was the only kid from Punjab to make it to the final squad for the U-17 World Cup.
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A product of the Minerva Punjab Academy, Ali is a sturdy centre-back and was part of the AIFF developmental side for two seasons. Anwar Ali was spotted by the then head coach of the U-17 national team Luis Norton de Matos when they played Minerva Punjab in a testimonial friendly. Much to the surprise of Matos, Minerva ran out 1-0 winners over the national side. Impressed by Minerva, Matos called up four of their youngsters to join the World Cup camp. One of them was Anwar Ali. The other three were Jeakson Singh, Mohammad Shahjahan and Nongdamba Naorem.
Anwar has played 34 games in the I-League so far. Mumbai City roped Ali up for his mature and disciplined performances on the pitch for a whopping ₹30 lakh.
Now on the onset, this may seem serious for Ali. But there have been several instances where athletes suffering from certain heart issues have come back to grace the sport again and we can only hope that Anwar Ali makes a successful comeback.
