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Pakistan-India SAFF Championship match can’t be rescheduled: report

Pakistan are scheduled to face India on Wednesday in Bengaluru

By Web Desk

June 18, 2023

The SAFF General Secretary Anwarul Haque has confirmed that the upcoming SAFF Championship match between Pakistan and India can’t be rescheduled.

While speaking to News9 Sports, Haq also said that matches of Pakistan team, which is currently awaiting visas for India, could be cancelled if they don’t arrive in time for the tournament.

Pakistan are scheduled to face India on Wednesday in Bengaluru.

“The match is on Wednesday. Hopefully they can come by tomorrow (Monday),” Haq said.

“The match can’t be scheduled. It is out of the question because then it would mean rescheduling of the other matches, which is impossible.

“In case they can’t come, we have to cancel Pakistan’s matches.”

Meanwhile, a Karnataka State Football Association (KSFA) official said that it might take a couple of days to issue the visas to Pakistan team.

“Some of them are yet to get clearance. So, they have been informed not to board their scheduled flight,” the official said on condition of anonymity.

“The delay is from there end, not from our end. The ministry has informed the AIFF that work on their visa applications are going on and it might take a couple of days to give them the necessary go-ahead.

“We hope by tomorrow it gets cleared and by evening they can come. It’s an eight-hour flight from Mauritius to Bengaluru via a stopover in Mumbai.”

It must be noted that the Pakistan team was scheduled to fly for India from Mauritius, where they participated in a four-nation tournament recently, on Sunday (today) at 11:30am but according to sources they were told by the Indian authorities to reschedule their departure and delay it until Monday.

Sources said if Pakistan team’s reservation for India’s tour is rescheduled then it will inflict Rs13 million damage on the country. Pakistan will have to bear boarding and lodging expenses if the team stays in Mauritius until Monday or Tuesday.