AFC Asian Cup: From being banned by AIFF to Scoring Debut goal at AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers, Anwar Ali ‘The Phoenix Rises’ – Check Out

Anwar: “I can’t describe the feeling in a few words. I’m extremely happy and in addition, it was an instinctive shot, and it felt brilliant when it hit the back of the net. I knew for sure that I would score for the senior Indian national team one day but I hadn’t expected that day to arrive so soon.”

“Since the goal, I’ve received appreciation from a lot of people including Coach Igor (Stimac), my India teammates and also my teammates at FC Goa. It feels really good to know that a lot of people appreciate my efforts and I intend to repay their faith by working extra hard,” he added.

2’ GOOAALLL!!

WHAT A START! 💪💪

Anwar Ali opens the scoresheet for India 🇮🇳 from Ashique’s cross inside the box, which is deflected once but Anwar makes no mistake to slot it home!

IND 1️⃣-0️⃣ HKG #INDHKG ⚔️ #ACQ2023 🏆 #BackTheBlue 💙 #BlueTigers 🐯 #IndianFootball ⚽ pic.twitter.com/ORu3t0oZ9H

— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) June 14, 2022

AFC Asian Cup: From being banned by AIFF to Scoring Debut goal at AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers, Anwar Ali ‘The Phoenix Rises’ – Check Out

Also Read: AFC Cup 2022: All you need to know about the AFC Cup 2022 Knockout Stage Draw, ATK Mohun Bagan to face ASEAN Zone Champion, Check AFC Cup Full Schedule, Dates, Fixtures

However, the life of Anwar Ali has not been smooth sailing. Tragedy struck when the youngster was detected with Hypertrophic Myocardiopathy when he joined the India camp in 2019. This strange condition affects the blood pumping in the heart after the heart wall becomes thickened. AIFF subsequently decided to ban him from playing and Mumbai City FC decided to terminate his contract. Determined not to give up, his mentor Mr. Ranjit Bajaj strived hard to help the youngster play for the National colours.

“It was a difficult procedure. I had to go to court, I won the court case and then the court ordered AIFF to let him (Anwar) play because it was the risk of the player. Moreover, when the best cardiologist in the world who is treating Aguero and Eriksen has cleared Anwar and says ‘I’m putting my reputation in line’ then there are no two ways in not allowing him to play,” said Mr. Ranjit Bajaj.

“I knew why I was fighting for him, I would have done it for any player, but for Anwar, I would have gone to all extent. Anwar is once in a generation player. People will not realize this, but I have seen him play previously. He is just 21 and he has a long way to go,” added Bajaj.

Following a 2-year playing ban, the AIFF then allowed Anwar to play not before submitting an affidavit to the national federation. The youngster then was bought by ISL giants FC Goa and later went on to play 10 games for the Gaurs in ISL 2021.

AFC Asian Cup: From being banned by AIFF to Scoring Debut goal at AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers, Anwar Ali ‘The Phoenix Rises’ – Check Out

InsideSport: After a brief break, you were slotted back into the Indian squad. What have been your struggles and how did you manage to overcome them to bring out a successful comeback?

Anwar: “The main thing, I believe is that I kept believing in my abilities and there were people around me who were there to support me, especially Mr Ranjit Bajaj. I was a part of India’s junior teams previously, and this was my maiden stint with the senior team. It has been a very rough journey for me since the diagnosis of my heart problem a few years ago, and it was only last year that I got the clearance to play football again.”

“There is nothing else in the world that I love more than this sport, so there is nothing else that I wanted more than a return to the pitch. I always knew that I had it in me to create a good impact and even make it to the top leagues and the senior national team, I just needed an opportunity to prove myself.”

InsideSport: Describe your and the team’s AFC Asian Cup 2023 Qualifiers Campaign.

Anwar: “I feel that we did well as a team. Our opponents – Cambodia, Afghanistan and Hong Kong – were by no means easy to beat and we had to bring out the best version of ourselves to ensure qualification to the AFC Asian Cup. I’m particularly proud of the defence department that including myself, as we conceded just once across the three games.”There are several positives to take away from the qualifiers – we won all three of our matches, displayed a strong mentality during tough times, and a lot of the youngsters stepped up when it mattered and I believe we can take a lot of confidence from the performances.”