PANAJI
FC Goa have roped in talented centre-back Anwar Ali from Delhi FC. The 21-year-old, one of the best performers for hosts India in the U17 FIFA World Cup, will sign an 18-month loan deal with the Gaurs in the January transfer window before he makes his Indian Super League debut.
“Delhi FC's defender Anwar Ali has joined our bio-secure bubble for a training stint with the first team ahead of the new season!” FC Goa announced on its social media accounts after the defender’s arrival on Sunday. Ali will undergo the mandatory eight-day quarantine before joining training with the Gaurs.
The move to Goa is a big stepping stone for the prodigious player whose career was derailed after he was diagnosed with a rare heart condition in 2019 which sidelined him from professional football. He was recently permitted to return to football and made an impressive comeback with Delhi FC, winning the Golden Boot in the recently played I-League qualifiers with four goals.
Ali started his career with Minerva Punjab and then was a prominent player for the Indian Arrows in the 2017 season and also the 2018-19 season when he was on loan from his new club Mumbai City FC. However, as his career was set to take off, it came to a halt abruptly as he was barred from playing in 2019 by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) after the detection of a congenital heart condition - Hypertrophic Cardio Myopathy. He was cleared to play football again by the AIFF in August after the player dragged the federation to Delhi High Court challenging the decision to bar him from playing and won the case. The AIFF lifted the playing ban on the condition that Ali furnishes an affidavit taking full responsibility for his own health, as well as details on the medical precautions that he and his prospective club will take.
The defender was on the radar of the top clubs from the ISL and FC Goa managed to convince the player of a top-flight future with them. Ali will possibly make the debut for his new club on January 2 when the Gaurs take on Kerala Blasters in the ISL after completing his transfer on January 1.
