Anwar Ali was one of the brightest stars in Indian football, Ali wasn’t just any young footballer, though – he was a key member of the Indian squad at the 2017 U-17 World Cup. The centre back was one of the standout performers, impressing enough to be signed by Indian Super League (ISL) side Mumbai City FC for a sum of INR 30 lakhs . However, his world turned upside down last year when he was diagnosed with his congenital heart condition — an extremely rare form of the already uncommon Hyper cardio Myopathy (HCM). He took off to France for treatment and now that he is back, he wants to play again still the future looked bleak But in recent news there is a ray of hope for the youngster. As a footballer he was staring at an early retirement from the game he loved, it would have been heart breaking for someone with this much talent to end his career before reaching its full potential. AIFF was considering other career options for Anwar but there seems to be new turn around and new saviour in this case that was Prof Sanjay Sharma.
Prof Sanjay Sharma is a specialist in sports Cardiology ,he is also the Chairman of The FA Cardiology Consensus Panel, he is a heavily decorated individual in this field. The chairman said that Anwar Ali should be allowed to play competitive football as long as he ‘understands the risks’ and ‘is under regular surveillance by an expert team.’ And he also said that Ali does not have ‘any obvious risk factors’. “Anwar and his guardians are aware that the condition is incurable and may cause symptoms during intensive exercise which may curtail his footballing career. The risk profile can alter with time; therefore, it is important that he is under regular surveillance by an expert team,”.
In a letter dated October 8, which has been submitted to the AIFF, Sharma wrote: “According to the ESC (European Society of Cardiology) guidelines in sports cardiology and exercise in patients with cardiovascular disease, athletes who do not have established high risk features associated with arrhythmogenic sudden cardiac death in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy may participate in competitive sport provided there is regular surveillance of the phenotype.”
Ali’s fledgling career has been put on hold after he was diagnosed with a heart problem called Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM), a condition where a portion of the heart becomes thick without any obvious cause. After the AIFF’s recommendation, Ali approached the Delhi High Court, which told the AIFF to consider allowing the defender to re join his team Mohammedan Sporting and train with them until the medical committee arrives at a conclusion.
After this report it is said that AIFF committee is reconsidering Anwar’s situation as it would seriously affect his livelihood and moreover it would rob Indian national team of a scintillating talent. Anwar Ali had filed a writ petition in the Delhi High Court against the All India Football Federation for not allowing him to play, There would be a court hearing on 20th October 2020. AIFF should reconsider their stance on this issue and file a detailed report before that. It is said that with proper check-up and expertise this centre back could have a long career, Looking back at his short career apart from U-17 world cup , His goal against Argentina U-19 still brings back a smile to every Indian football fans face.