By Monojit Mandal
Aibanbha Kupar Dohling feels India should allow Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) players to play for the country as this will improve the standard of football in India.
The Meghalaya born footballer Aibanbha, who plays as a defender for FC Goa in the Indian Super League, in an exclusive chat with The Meghalayan said, “I think they (OCI players) should be allowed. A lot of countries around the world allow OCI players. It will help Indian football grow as top quality players from the world with Indian heritage can represent the country. They have good experience in leagues which are far more competitive than ours.”
Talking about Indian Super League (ISL), Aibanbha said, ISL is growing in stature every season and it is good for the development of Indian football overall. Moreover, he said ISL is now able to attract top players from across the globe.“I think it’s great that football in India is growing. The quality in the (ISL) league is developing every year and we’re attracting good players from across the world. ISL has helped Indian Football a lot, in terms of new talents, grassroots level development and media coverage.” However, the absence of a major football event in Meghalaya for a long time concerned Aiban, with the only representative club in I-League, Shillong Lajong, getting relegated in the 2018–19 I-League season.
Aiban hoped the Guwahati-based ISL club NorthEast United FC (NEUFC) could help with the growing football scene back in Meghalaya by arranging some of their home matches in the glorious Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Shillong. “It’s (absence of major football tournament) bad for a football-loving state like ours. It’s been very disappointing. I always wish the best for Shillong Lajong and Meghalaya. Hope NEUFC can help the football scene grow again there. Our government should also provide incentives or some kind of encouragement for clubs to nurture young talents and to participate in the national level competition.” he added.
ALSO READ: https://themeghalayan.com/gunners-miss-target-as-reds-enter-league-cup-final/