Pakistan Football Team Get Visa For SAFF Football Championship In India

The decks have been cleared for the Pakistan football team for its participation in the SAFF Football Championship after receiving visas travel to India on Monday. According to PTI, the Pakistan team is on the lookout for the earliest flight out of Mauritius to reach India in time for their opening match against India on June 21 at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium here. The match is scheduled for a 7.30 p.m. start.

Match on schedule

"Yes we have been aware of the developments about the Pakistan team getting visa clearance. We are hoping that they will be landing in Bengaluru on Tuesday ahead of the much-anticipated match against India on Wednesday. We are hoping for a sell-out crowd for the match here. We are all set to stage the match," a top KSFA said

The official said they were not looking at rescheduling the match at the moment and have been working closely with AIFF.

Earlier, the arrival of the Pakistan football team for the SAFF tournament was thrown into limbo after the delay in processing the visa necessary to travel to India.

Pakistan was stuck in Mauritius, where they had participated in the Four-Nation Cup tournament ahead of the SAFF competition.

Not the ideal preparation

Pakistan made jittery preparations for the premier football tournament in South Asia, as they finished last on the table with an all-loss record. Djibouti emerged champions in the tournament with an all-win record.

The neighbouring country's woes were deepened as the Indian Embassy in Mauritius could not process their visa request because of the weekend non-working days.

Pakistan Football Federation had blamed the national sports board for issuing the NOC to travel to India late, while the board countered the allegation, stating that the PFF submitted the application for the NOC after a considerable delay.

Published on: Tuesday, June 20, 2023, 10:00 AM IST