Australian forward Ryan Williams joins Indian football team camp
New Delhi (PTI): Forward Ryan Willaims, who has relinquished his Australian passport to become an Indian citizen, has joined the Khalid Jamil-coached national team camp in Bengaluru, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) said on Sunday.
Born in Perth, the 32-year-old entered the camp along with defender Jay Gupta.
"Forward Ryan Williams, and defender Jay Gupta have joined the senior men's national team camp in Bengaluru," the AIFF posted on X.
In what could mark a new beginning for Indian football, the game's national federation AIFF earlier this week roped in two overseas-based players -- Williams and Abneet Bharti -- for the national camp ahead of the AFC Asian Cup qualifier against Bangladesh in Dhaka on November 18.
The move reflects a bold shift in approach by the beleaguered federation, opening the door for Indian-origin players and those willing to give up foreign citizenship to represent the country.
The camp began in Bengaluru on Thursday.
Williams' Indian citizenship handover ceremony was conducted by legendary Sunil Chhetri at the training facility of Bengaluru FC, the club he plays for in the Indian Super League.
"Honoured to make official what's long felt true. Grateful for the love, the opportunity, and the sense of belonging this country has given me. As you can see, the last round of interviews was the hardest. India, I'm one of your own!" Williams had earlier said in an Instagram post.
Williams' mother was born in Mumbai while his father was born in Kent, England.
This is only the second instance of an Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) becoming eligible to play for the Indian football team.
He has played for Australia U-20 and U-23 teams, and also represented the senior team as a second-half substitute during a friendly in 2019, against South Korea.
He has also represented English clubs Fulham and Portsmouth, before joining ISL side Bengaluru FC in 2023.
Before Williams, Japan-born Izumi Arata took Indian citizenship to represent India in 2012, and featured in nine matches for the Blue Tigers in 2013 and 2014.
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Odisha: Normalcy returns to violence-hit Malkangiri; internet services fully restored
Malkangiri (PTI): Normalcy returned to Odisha’s Malkangiri district on Monday, nearly a week after around 200 villages were damaged in violent clashes in a village, with the district administration fully restoring internet services, a senior official said.
Additional District Magistrate Bedabar Pradhan said internet services, suspended across the district on December 8 to curb the spread of rumours and misinformation following the clashes, were restored after the situation improved.
The suspension had been extended in phases till 12 noon on Monday.
The administration also withdrew prohibitory orders imposed under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita within a 10-km radius of MV-26 village, where arson incidents were reported on December 7 and December 8.
Though the violence was confined to two villages, tension had gripped the entire district, as the incident took the form of a clash between local tribals and Bengali settlers following the recovery of a headless body of a woman on December 4, officials said.
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The violence broke out after residents of Rakhelguda village allegedly set ablaze several houses belonging to Bengali residents, forcing hundreds to flee. The headless body of Lake Podiami (51), a woman from the Koya tribe, was recovered from the banks of the Poteru river on December 4, while her head was found six days later at a location about 15 km away.
Officials said the district administration held several rounds of discussions with representatives of the tribal and Bengali communities, following which both sides agreed to maintain peace.
Relief and rehabilitation work has since been launched at MV-26 village, with preliminary assessment pegging property damage at around Rs 3.8 crore.
A two-member ministerial team headed by Deputy Chief Minister K V Singh Deo visited the affected village, interacted with officials and locals, and submitted a report to the chief minister.
So far, 18 people have been arrested in connection with the violence, the officials said, adding that despite the withdrawal of prohibitory orders and restoration of internet services, security forces, including BSF and CRPF personnel, continue to be deployed to prevent any untoward incident.
On Sunday, Nabarangpur MP Balabhadra Majhi visited MV-26 and neighbouring Rakhelguda villages, and held discussions with members of both communities as part of efforts to rebuild confidence and restore peace.
More than two lakh Bengali-speaking Bangladeshis were rehabilitated by the Centre in Malkangiri and Nabarangpur districts in 1968, and they currently reside in 124 villages of Malkangiri.
