FA expert recommends AIFF clear Ali to play

New Delhi, Oct 11 (IANS) Anwar Ali has been cleared to play competitive football by England's Football Association's (FA) Caradiology Consensus Panel Chairman Sanjay Sharma. The junior India international on Sunday appeared in front of the All India Football Federation's (AIFF) Medical Committee on Sunday alongwith Sharma, who joined in via video conference from London.Ali, who was an integral part of the Indian team that played in the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup, had been stopped from playing the sport proefessionally by the AIFF as he suffers from a rare heart condition. Sharma, who is also chief medical director at the London Marathon, was the lead cardiologist for the 2012 London Olympics."Prof Sharma pointed out that Anwar would have been cleared to play in England given his condition is totally asymptomatic and has no obvious disqualification factors like family history," said a release from Minerva Academy, where Ali began his career. "He also said that many players with similar and even worse degree of HCM (Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy) are currently playing in the top competitive leagues in Europe and UK. He also pointed out that the guidelines regarding competitive sports participation with HCM have been reviewed and revised this year itself and are much more liberal than before on cases like Anwar."
--IANS rkm/vd