Daily Times

LAHORE: Members of Pakistan’s football squad may acquire visas today (Monday) to tour India for the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Cup, which will be held in Bengaluru from June 21 to July 4.

When this correspondent inquired about the status of the Pakistan team’s visas to India, All India Football Federation (AIFF) Secretary General Shaji Parbharkaram responded via WhatsApp, “It will be done tomorrow.”

AIFF is working hard to secure permits for the Pakistan team, which will visit India for the first time in nine years.

According to sources close to the situation, Pakistan team officials were scheduled to go to India’s High Commission in Mauritius on Sunday to collect up their passports. Still, the PFF Normalisation Committee instructed them to wait while AIFF worked on visas for the Pakistan team.

Pakistan team was scheduled to fly for India on Sunday at 11:30am, but it could not do so as visas were not yet issued.

The team management had told the Mauritius football authorities that they would be able to get India’s visas on Monday (today), and they have cooperated in accommodation.

Pakistan team is currently in the same hotel where it was for the four-nation football event, which ended on Saturday.

Djibouti emerged as champions of the event after they downed Pakistan 3-1 in their final game on Saturday.

According to team sources, if even on Monday, the team failed to get visas, then definitely further stay in Mauritius might be managed by Pakistan itself, which will be costly.

“You cannot feel in what mental agony we have been for the last three days,” a team source said.

“Everyone is worried whether they will get visas or not,” the source said.

“The players were very excited for the SAFF CUP but the visas issues have put them in deep pain,” the source said.

Sources said if visas are delayed further and if Pakistan moves to India on Tuesday or early Wednesday, then it will be very difficult for the Green Shirts to play their first game against India on June 21.

“If we reach India on June 21 or the night before then the organisers should reschedule our match against India,” a source said.