Chopra’s Indian dilemma

In a rather surprising piece of news, Cardiff’s Michael Chopra is considering playing for the Indian national team. For the player himself, it’s hard to see the attraction; India are 144th in the FIFA rankings and got thumped 9-1 by Kuwait the other day.

Yet for Cardiff the attraction is clear. India is seen by football’s business minds as the great untapped market. Having a (relatively) big name in their national side could do huge things to boost the game in India. Cardiff meanwhile would be likely to do very well by proxy.

Bothroyd’s big night

If he does get the chance, it will be tough for Jay Bothroyd on Wednesday night. Footballing history is littered with players who made it at Championship level and then failed to make the step up.

But let’s dream for a moment. Imagine Bothroyd comes on, grabs a goal and generally looks impressive. Suddenly looking to the Championship for talent is going to become more attractive both for national teams and Premier League sides. One good performance from one striker could improve the reputation of the whole division.