Spotlight on Williams as India face Hong Kong

Kochi: All eyes will be on Ryan Williams when India take on Hong Kong in their final AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifier at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium on Tuesday. While both sides are already out of contention, this fixture is far from just a mere formality, with valuable FIFA ranking points still up for grabs and a chance for India to sign off on a positive note in front of their home fans.Much of the spotlight will be on 32-year-old winger Williams, who is set to make his India debut. Born in Perth, Williams drew attention last year, when he relinquished his Australian citizenship to represent India. Despite the buzz around his potential inclusion, head coach Khalid Jamil remained non-committal, noting that the team has multiple attacking options and that a final decision on the lineup would only be made on Tuesday morning.India head into the game placed at the bottom of Group C with just two points from five games. Even a win over Hong Kong would not be enough to lift them off the foot of the table, as third-placed Bangladesh, with five points, hold the advantage on head-to-head record. India are also the only team in the group yet to secure a victory. When these two teams met in Singapore in October last year, Hong Kong registered a 1-0 win.Jamil acknowleded that this game could be a dive into the unknown for India, given the slew of changes in the Hong Kong squad."We are already out of contention, but we need to finish the campaign on a positive note. A lot has changed since we played Hong Kong last year. They have a new team and a new coach, and we don't have a lot of information about them. So we must focus on our own game, and that would be the best approach," Jamil said on match eve.The coach has named a 23-member squad for the fixture, including Keralites Sahal Abdul Samad, Ashique Kuruniyan and Bijoy Varghese. Hong Kong, led by interim coach Roberto Losada, arrive in Kochi aiming to complete a double over India after their earlier win in the qualifiers last year.This game also marks the return of international football to Kerala after a decade. Kochi had hosted the India vs Turkmenistan World Cup qualifier in 2016.Kochi has long been one of India's strongest football hubs, with the stadium renowned for its passionate and sizeable crowds, particularly during ISL fixtures. However, attendance has been lacklustre this season, largely due to the fan protests against the Kerala Blasters management. Whether there will be a massive turnout for the national team remains to be seen.KFA pays security deposit to GCDAThe Kerala Football Association (KFA) paid the ₹25 lakh security deposit to the Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA), owners of Kochi's Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium, on Monday, meeting the noon deadline set by the authority. The issue had come to light last week when India head coach Khalid Jamil and several players were denied entry to the venue due to the non-payment of the mandatory deposit.