Indian Super League club FC Goa are reportedly close to signing the defender Anwar Ali. The Delhi FC youth will join the Gaurs in January 2022, after signing on an 18 months loan deal from his current club.
“Anwar Ali will join FC Goa. However, he will have to wait till January 2022 to move, as the transfer window is currently shut. Delhi FC and the Gaurs have agreed terms on an 18-month loan deal. He will hence remain with Juan Ferrando and co till the end of the 2022-23 season,” said the sources close to the deal.
Anwar Ali rose to fame in 2017, when he got a call-up to India’s squad for the FIFA U-17 World Cup. Since then, he had been a regular with the national U-17 and advanced to play for the U-20 and U-23 teams. The defender also scored a goal against football giants Argentina under 21.
The youngster is a student of the famous Minerva Academy. He played his first senior professional game at the national level for Minerva Punjab. After a brief stint at Indian Arrows, he got a call from Mumbai City in 2018.
The Islanders sent him back to the Arrows on loan, he was returned to Mumbai in the following year.
After all the success, which he gained in his early days in football, things started to fall unexpectedly for Anwar Ali. Due to a heart problem, he was put aside from professional football. A medical examination revealed that he suffered from Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM), which could be a trouble for him if he continues to play in warm climates. After more medical reports, along with suggestions from French specialists, Mumbai City terminated his contract. They stated that he couldn’t continue to play professional football without the danger of heart failure.
In 2020, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) intervened Ali’s move to Mohammedan SC and said that he should completely stop playing. The youngster challenged this decision in the Delhi High Court, which backed him. The court said that until the AIFF came to a necessary decision on him, they couldn’t stop him from playing professionally.
Since this episode, Anwar Ali came back and presented Delhi FC in the Durand Cup, I-League Qualifiers and Football Delhi Senior Division League among other competitions. In August 2021, the AIFF accepted his return, given that he will have to submit an affidavit taking full responsibility for his health.
This increased his anticipation to return to the ISL after a failed stint at Mumbai City. However, with the transfer window currently shut, he will have to wait until January 2022 for a move to emerge.