As Pakistan prepares to take on India in the SAFF Championship in Bengaluru, India today, it suffered another setback ahead of the crucial match.
More than half of the Pakistani players, who were scheduled to play today, have missed their flight from Mumbai to Bengaluru earlier today, reports JEE News.
Pakistan team manager Hasnain Haider explained how the team faced problems at the passport control office in India.
“We reached Mumbai at 1:30 am, but there was no official at the passport control office. They came 30 minutes later and gave us some forms to fill, including the visa form, which we already filled. The passport was submitted to the authorities before reaching Mumbai,” he said.
The entire process took some time with the first group, comprising six players and six team officials, managing to board their flight at 3:55 am, the official added.
“However, the other group [14 players and six officials] missed their flight as their forms took longer to get approved,” Haider added.
After the development, more than half of the players will reach Bengaluru just six hours before kick-off as the next available flight departs from Mumbai at 9:15 am and reaches Bangalore around 11 am and the players are likely to reach their hotels by 1 am. will reach the evening
However, the Pakistani team is ready for the much-anticipated match against India despite a journey of almost 17 hours.
“The players are ready to play, but obviously they are not in the best condition. None of them have slept and we have been traveling for almost 17 hours now,” said Hasnain.
Earlier, the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) rejected a request by the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) to reschedule the India vs Pakistan match on Wednesday.
The PFF had earlier requested the regional football body to reschedule the game after delays in issuing visas disrupted Pakistan’s travel plans.
“As you are well aware of the visa situation of the Pakistan contingent traveling to the SAFF Championship 2023 due to which the contingent will arrive in Bangalore on the morning of the 21st, which is the day of the match. Therefore, we formally request from the SAFF Would like to request that the match be rescheduled to a later date to allow the team enough time to prepare after the long flight,” PFF wrote in an earlier email to SAFF.
However, the organizers of the SAFF Cup in Bangalore turned down the PFF’s request saying that they were not in a position to reschedule the match.
The SAFF replied to the PFF, “We were very much aware of your visa situation, but as multiple stakeholders including broadcasters are involved, we are not in a position to reschedule your match on the 21st as it would have The championship could be in jeopardy,” SAFF replied to PFF.
