2 Kashmiri boys, Basit Ahmed and Asrar Rehbar to play for a Spanish Football Club

The terror torn state of Jammu and Kashmir has produced two fine footballing prospects for the country.

Sociedad Deportiva Lenense, a 3rd division professional club in Spain, has selected Basit Ahmed and Mohammed Asrar Rehbar in the January transfer window. Basit will be assuming duties of a centre forward, while Asrar will be deployed on the right wing.

Their selection comes as a huge boost for sports in Kashmir, as the state has never really been at the heart of sporting news in the country. Very rarely do we see international stars being produced from Kashmir, and thus this is a moment to cherish all Kashmiris.

These two boys played in the national juniors before being selected to represent the Spanish club in Spain’s 3^rd division.

How did they make the cut?

The CRPF has gone ahead and partnered with the Football Next Foundation to identify young footballing talent in the valley, a move that has proven to be very fruitful as of now, especially with these two boys getting picked by a European Club.

A three member selection committee, which comprised of Anit Ghosh, Ishfaq Ahmed and Hilal Rasool Paray conducted the trials, following which these two boys got selected.

The boys have been presented with a once in a life time opportunity to get away from the violence ridden state and ply their trade in the pristine and secure grounds of Spain, something that they would have longed for all their life.