SAFF Championship: India-Pakistan match set to be played on schedule

Bengaluru, Jun 20 (PTI) After several anxious moments, the SAFF Championship 2023 football match between India and Pakistan is all set to be played as scheduled on Wednesday here at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium.

Uncertainty had shrouded the arrival of Pakistan team from Mauritius after the delay in processing their visa.

But on Monday night the Indian Embassy cleared all the pending applications, paving way for the smooth travel of Pakistan squad to India for the tournament.

Pakistan team was in Mauritius to take part in the Four-Nation tournament, which was clinched by Djibouti.

“The Pakistan is expected to land in the City by late evening or in the night and the match on Wednesday is set to be played on schedule at 7.30 PM IST. The AIFF is constantly monitoring the situation and we are confident that a rescheduling of the match will not happen at this stage,” a Karnataka State Football Association (KSFA) official told PTI.

Pakistan team’s departure from Mauritius was delayed after the Indian Embassy was closed for the previous weekend, and visa clearance did not take place.

The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) had blamed the country’s National Sports Board for issuing the NOC to play in India late for the imbroglio.

The sports board, however, returned the favour saying the federation submitted the documents essential for the NOC at the last minute, leading to an inevitable delay.