Indian football coach Stephen Constantine today said he has identified a few persons of Indian origin (PIO), who would "add great value" to the beleaguered national team, which sunk to a new low after losing in the World Cup qualifiers to Guam recently.
"I would like the opportunity to select some of the players that are of Indian origin or have roots here to play for the Indian national team. There are a number of players that I have identified who would add great value to the team and obviously improve us as a whole," Constantine wrote on his official blog.
The 52-year-old Briton, however, added that this may not necessarily mean a long-time solution.
"This is, of course, not the long-term solution, it is a way where we can improve results in the next few years now but at the same time make sure we are doing the right things when it come to developing players here in India," he said.
The PIO issue once again came to the fore after India's 1-2 defeat to Guam (174), ranked 33 places below the South Asian nation.
After the loss, Constantine raised the issue citing Guam's example who fielded several US-based players during their win against India.
It was India's second consecutive loss in the World Cup qualifiers.
"How can we do this without upsetting the government's policies, the recent result against Guam has for sure raised the issue of why we are not allowed to use Indian players playing abroad," he said.
Constantine said the All India Football Federation (AIFF) is doing the right thing by appointing skilled staffs for the junior sides.
