Arata gets Indian passport

Izumi Arata could become the first naturalised Indian to play for the senior national football team. HT reports.

Izumi Arata could become the first naturalised Indian to play for the senior national football team. A Japanese by birth, the multi-utility Pune FC player got his Indian passport on Wednesday making him eligible for selection.

“Since I am in New Delhi for the Durand Cup, my wife received the passport back home in Pune. Believe me, it took tremendous patience and repeated follow-ups as the entire procedure was quite tedious. Since I was out playing most of the time, my wife (who is Indian) had to do all the running around. It explains why she was more excited that I was,” Arata, 30, told HT.

Arata said the process of surrendering his Japanese citizenship and getting an Indian passport took him nearly a year. He has been playing as a professional in India since 2006 representing East Bengal and the now-disbanded Mahindra United before joining Pune FC in 2009.