Ex-Kerala Blasters defender Abneet Bharti joins Czech club FK Varnsdorf

The defender had a short stint with Kerala Blasters in the 2019-20 season.

Abneet Bharti, a 23-year-old defender from India, has penned a contract with the Czech Republic second-division club FK Varnsdorf, Khel Now can confirm.

Abneet, who was part of the Kerala Blasters squad in the 2019-20 season, was also formerly a part of the Real Valladolid U-19 team.

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The young defender was set to complete the deal earlier. However, issues caused due to COVID-19 and the subsequent travel bans held up the deal for a while. The move is now complete, well before the transfer deadline day. A former Sporting Director of one of the clubs interested in the defender, called and invited him to Varnsdorf, thereby playing a key role in making the move possible.

About the player

Born in Kathmandu, Abneet started his football journey with Singapore Premier League (SPL) side Geylang International FC before joining fellow Singaporean club Balestier Khalsa in 2013. He afterwards signed with LaLiga side Real Valladolid's U-19 team before moving to Sintrense, a Portugal-based club. Former Barcelona player Nelson Semedo also played at the same club during his younger days.

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However, Bharti could not make the most of his stint at Sintrese. He sustained a serious knee injury that ruled him out of action for many months.

Abneet moved to Kerala Blasters towards the end of the recovery period to gain momentum and confidence but later left to continue his progress in Europe. As of today, Abneet Bharti is one of the few Indian players to have the experience of playing abroad. He is part of the exclusive list that includes Bhaichung Bhutia, Sunil Chhetri and Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, among others.

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