India's Anuj Kichlu Named as Lone Asian Member in FIFA Football Agent Working Group

India’s Anuj Kichlu, who facilitated star players like Bala Devi and Sandesh Jhingan in their European club transfers, has been named as the lone Asian member of the prestigious FIFA Football Agent Working Group to advice on how football agents operate in the region.

The 18-member Working Group was set up by the FIFA on Monday after the FIFA Football Agent Regulations (FFAR) came into force.

The Working Group consists of representatives of professional stakeholders and agent organisations from across the world that will act as a permanent consultative body in relation to football agent matters, including practical implementation of the new framework, as well as possible future amendments or changes to the FFAR.

The Working Group is dominated by the Europeans and Latin Americans.

Kichlu, who operates from Kolkata and is a part of the Spanish agency Best of You (BOY), has been a football player agent since 2012.

He was instrumental in Bala Devi joining the Rangers Women’s Football Club in Scotland in 2020 to become the first Indian female player to sign with a top European side, besides men’s national team defender Sandesh Jhingan joining HNK Sibenik in Croatia in 2021 for a brief period.

Kichlu was also involved in Indian women players Jyoti Chauhan and Soumya Guguloth joining Dinamo Zagreb last year.

“In the FIFA Working Group, we have to give our opinion and advice on how agents operate in India and in the region. The Working Group consists of different regions, levels and types of agents, so FIFA will get opinions from all types of groups,” Kichlu told PTI.

“It is beneficial (to Indian football) to have our voice heard in FIFA and be on a common platform with some industry leaders,” he added.

Kichlu has also worked with some well known national team players in the past, including Subrata Paul, Renedy Singh, Gouramangi Singh, NP Pradeep, Nirmal Chhetri, as well as India’s 2017 U-17 World Cup team goalkeeper Moirangthem Dheeraj Singh.

He was instrumental in taking then India number one goalkeeper Paul to FC Vestsjaelland in Denmark in 2014 and Dheeraj’s trial stint at Motherwell FC in Scotland in 2018.

Kichlu is involved in at least 40 player transfers in a year. He is currently managing two coaches, six foreign players and 45 domestic footballers.