Coronovirus continue to wreak havoc with sporting events as India's 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers match against Qatar scheduled for March 26 has now been postponed due to the spread of the deadly virus. (More Football News)
All India Football Federation (AIFF) General Secretary Kushal Das told PTI t▨hat t⛎he match against the Asian Champions in Bhubaneswar has been postponed and a new date will be known next week.
"India's match against Qatar has been postponed. It will be played later this year but theꦺ new date is yet to be decided," Das said.
A💯sk about the status of the match against Afghanistan on June 9, he said, "That match will also be postponed.&qu♐ot;
Das said the new𒈔 dates of India's remaining World Cup qualifier matches will be known during a meeting between the AFC and AIFF officials in New Delhi on Tuesday.
"The meeting will discuss ab🔯out the new dates of these matches, besides other matt🃏ers," he said.
World football governing body FIFA and the Asian▨ body AFC had on Thursday proposed postponing all the upcoming 2022 World Cup and 2023 Asian Cup Cup qualifiers in view of the ris﷽ing coronavirus threat.
"For both FIFA and the AFC, the well-being and health of all individuals involved in football matches remains the highest priority, and as such, a formal pr🎃oposal to postpone upcoming matches in the Asian FIFA World Cup 2022 and AFC Asian Cup 2023 qualifiers will now be shared with the relevant member associaཧtions," FIFA had said in a statement.
Already out of World Cup contention after failing to win a single game, India are also scheduled to play against Bangladesh (June 4 in𒅌 Dhaka) and Afghanistan (June 9 in Kolkata).
The FIFA and the AFC had said that they will prov🐻ide an update on ܫthese fixtures in the coming days.
The Indian team was to begin a camp under head coach Igor Stimac in Bhubaneswar from Monday but it has 𝓰now been cancelled.
"The camp now staꦚnds cancelled. There is no point of having the 🦂camp as the match against Qatar has been postponed," a source in the AIFF said.
Although the Blue Tigers lost their 2022 World Cup qualifie⛦r to Oman in Guwahati, they kept their chances alive after holdin﷽g Asian champions Qatar to a goalless draw in Doha.
But last-minute draws against Bangladesh and Afghanistan followed by a narrow 0-1 away loss t📖o Oman put them out of contention for a next round berth.
India is ♍now seeking to qualify f♉or the 2023 Asian Cup.
