LAHORE: Pakistani football team players may get their visas today (Monday) to tour India for participation in the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Cup, which is scheduled to take place in Bengaluru from June 21 to July 4.
All India Football Federation’s (AIFF) Secretary General Shaji Parbharkaram, about the updates on the Pakistani football team’s India visas, replied via WhatsApp: “It will be done tomorrow.”
AIFF is doing its good to manage visas for the Pakistani players going to India after nine years.
According to sources, Pakistani football players and officials were set to go to India’s High Commission in Mauritius to pick up their passports on Sunday. However, they were told by the PFF Normalisation Committee to wait as AIFF was trying to manage visas for Pakistani players.
The team was scheduled to fly for India yesterday at 11:30 am, but it couldn’t do so as visas were not then issued.
The team management had told the Mauritius football authorities that they could get India’s visas on Monday, and they’ve cooperated in accommodation.
The Green Shirt players are recently in the same hotel where it was for the four-nation football event, which ended on Saturday.
Djibouti has emerged as champions of the event after they downed Pakistan 3-1 in their final game on Saturday.
According to team sources, if the Pakistani team failed to get visas even today, then further stay in Mauritius might be managed by Pakistan itself, which will be costly.
A team source said you couldn’t feel what mental agony we have been in for the last three days.
The source said everyone is worried about whether they will get visas or not.
The source said the football players were very excited about the SAFF Cup, but the visa issues have put them in deep pain.
Sources said if visas are delayed further and Pakistan moves to India on Tuesday or early Wednesday, it will be tough for the Pakistani team to play their first game against India on June 21.
A source said that if we reach India on June 21 or the night before, the event organizers should reschedule our football match against India.
