Ryan Williams gives up Australian passport, set to join India camp for AFC Qualifiers- Reports

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) is reportedly preparing a major surprise by calling up a few foreign-based Indian players to the national team camp in the coming days.

According to a report by The Telegraph Online, Bengaluru FC’s Ryan Williams and former Kerala Blasters FC player Abneet Bharti will be part of India’s ongoing camp ahead of the AFC Qualifiers match against Bangladesh.

India is scheduled to play Bangladesh at the National Stadium in Dhaka on November 18. The team has set up camp in Bengaluru from Thursday and is expected to travel to Dhaka on November 15.

Defender Abneet Bharti, an Indian citizen who has spent most of his professional career abroad, currently plays for Bolivian top-division club Club ABB. The 27-year-old has made six appearances this season and is expected to strengthen India’s defensive line alongside Sandesh Jhingan and Anwar Ali.

Meanwhile, dynamic winger Ryan Williams, who has been with Bengaluru FC for the past two seasons, has reportedly given up his Australian passport to acquire Indian citizenship.

Williams, whose mother hails from an Anglo-Indian family in Mumbai, had been pursuing an Indian passport for some time. He is now awaiting final clearance before officially joining the national camp.

AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey told The Telegraph, “We were working on that (Williams’s Indian passport), and it took around six months to complete the formalities.”