Dubai: Cardiff City striker Michael Chopra's chances of representing India at the Asian Cup appear slim according to India skipper Bhaichung Bhutia.
Talking to XPRESS after their practice session ahead of their match with the UAE today, Bhutia said: "Of course it would be great for the side if he manages to get past all the red-tape in time, but his chances don't look too good. The final squad for the Asian Cup has to be submitted next month and he still has to get his passport issue sorted out for starters," he said.
Incidentally, the former Newcastle and Sunderland player, whose father is Indian, is a British passport holder and according to the new Indian government law, a player has to hold an Indian passport to be eligible to play for the country.
"As such I don't see any problem from either Fifa or AFC (Asian Football Confederation) regarding this so now it is upto the AIFF (All India Football Federation) to get the matter sorted out in time," he added.
Chopra was in Dubai on Sunday to hold talks with coach Bob Houghton and the players and Bhutia said they would be glad to have a player of his profile play for India.
"It would be great for the profile of our country's football if he plays for us. If he doesn't make it in time for the Asian Cup, we can still have him for the World Cup 2014 qualifiers next year," he said.
