The Union Cabinet on Tuesday approved the National Sports Policy 2025 on Tuesday, a landmark initiative aimed at reshaping India’s sporting landscape and empowering citizens through sport.
The policy covers five salient features, one of which is ‘Sports for Social Development’, which speaks about the importance of sports in promoting global peace and mutual understanding. It emphasises equal opportunities for all individuals regardless of background so that they can excel.
Under that category, an excerpt of the policy reads, “Wherever feasible, promising and prominent Indian-origin athletes living abroad may be encouraged to come back and play for India at the international level.”
This might be indicative of a change from the perspective of Indian football, where OCI (Overseas Citizens of India) and PIO (People of Indian Origin) players have been a major point of discussion.
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The All Indian Football Federation (AIFF) has been urged by members of the sporting fraternity and fans to facilitate the process of integrating OCI and PIO players in the national team. However, a 2008 directive from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) currently mandates that only Indian citizens with a valid Indian passport can represent India in international sports.
However, if the aforementioned excerpt of the National Sports Policy 2025 is implemented successfully, Indian football can see a major change, which would see OCI and PIO players donning the Blue Tigers jersey.
AIFF president, Kalyan Chaubey, in an exclusive interview with Sportstar, said, “Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) and Person of Indian Origin (PIO) cardholders are foreign nationals granted limited social and economic rights in India. However, since India does not recognise dual citizenship, these cards do not confer Indian nationality.”
“Cardholders often have strong ancestral ties to India — through parents, grandparents, or prior residence — which can influence sporting eligibility and, in some cases, allow for national representation.
We are exploring how PIO/OCI players can align with FIFA statutes, Indian citizenship laws, and the national sports policy.
This is an ongoing process, and until we receive clarity from FIFA and the Government of India, we cannot disclose any names,” Chaubey added.
