Shillong, May 31: Ricky John Shabong (front row second left) took a giant step in his career by being fielded in the Indian national senior men’s football team in two matches of the Unity Cup in London.
India first played Jamaica on May 27 and lost 2-0, with Ricky coming off the bench in the 82nd minute, replacing Naorem Roshan Singh, for his international debut.
Then, last night, India took on Zimbabwe and lost 1-0. This time midfielder Ricky was given a start and played the full 90 minutes.
The Unity Cup brings together countries that have large diasporas living in London. This edition was recognised by FIFA as a Tier 1 international tournament, so Ricky’s participation does count as an official international cap.
The other country in the tournament was Nigeria and it was they who won the Cup by defeating Jamaica 3-0 in last night’s final. India were the lowest-ranked team (136th) in the competition, though they were only a few rungs down from Zimbabwe (130th). Jamaica (68th) and Nigeria (26th) are in a different league altogether.
However, India did not go with all of its best players as Mohun Bagan refused to take responsibility for any injuries (though recognised by FIFA, the Unity Cup dates fell out of the FIFA international window).
India will next travel to Tajikistan to play two friendly matches on June 5 and 9. These games are during the FIFA window, which opens tomorrow.
