It’s a ‘return of the native,’ to the land of his forefathers!
Adam Mitter, who will turn out for Fateh Hyderabad AFC in the I-League’s second division, is a fifth generation descendant of Monoronjan Mitter.
“My great, great granddad came to England with his family as a young child and settled in London around 1880. He was from the Calcutta region,” the 24-year-old centre-back told The Hindu , tracing his ancestry to India.
Incidentally, acclaimed film-maker Satyajit Ray’s renowned detective Feluda bears Adam’s relatively uncommon surname — Mitter!
The Shrewsbury resident’s soccer sojourns saw him hop continents. Setting out from Preston North End, the first professional club and academy he joined as a 14-year-old, he was enlisted for the Blackpool under 18 squad. After playing under-20 for Hibernian in Scotland, he donned the colours of Kettering and Warrington Town.
Myriad clubs
The call to captain Ange IF, playing in Division Two, the fourth tier of Swedish football in 2013, was too much to resist. He later manned the defence for Barrow and then Chorley, both Conference-level clubs, before being signed up by Loyola Meralco, a Philippines’ league first division side.
Few managers would risk youngsters in his area of operation. “Playing centre-back in England, it’s hard to get game time at such a young age,” he had said, recommending hundred per cent that his compatriots seek stints abroad.
With the money in the English Premier League (EPL), it was not surprising that it attracted international players, paving the way for home-grown talent to find opportunities abroad.
“The Indian soccer scene is not sluggish but not as quick as the EPL. No other league, except for Spain, is. India is getting better. The experience the Indian Soccer League (ISL) and I-League footballers gain by playing with seasoned foreigners is vital.
“I expect India in a few years to be right up there with the big countries,” foresees Mitter, who sees Sergio Ramos as role model.
“Asian football is on the rise, quite dramatically. We look at the Chinese, Malaysian, Indonesian and Indian leagues as massive, drawing crowds and developing fantastic home grown players.
“In a few years everyone outside of England and Spain will be looking towards Asia,” predicted Mitter, who found Sunderland’s Nigerian import Victor Chinedu Anichebe, the toughest to tackle.
“Fateh’s a new club with fantastic ambition. You will see its dramatic rise, starting with this season,” said Mitter of his latest team.
The Hyderabad-based outfit’s opening outing on home turf will be against Pride Sports FC of Jabalpur at the Gachibowli stadium on Friday evening.
