Asian Football Confederation (AFC) 2021 is set to postpone matches in the Maldives after an incident related to Bengaluru FC. Things took a wild turn after the country’s sports minister Ahmed Mahloof accused the Sunil Chhetri-led club of breaching Covid-19 restrictions. He has asked the Indian Super League (ISL) side to return home as they would not be able to host the match that is scheduled for May 11.
Apart from the South Asian Zone play-off, Maldives was supposed to host Group D matches from May 14. AFC is set to postpone that as well. Although AFC is yet to announce the postponement officially, it has been learnt that ATK Mohun Bagan who were set to feature in Group D matches have been asked to cancel travel plans.
AIFF, however, is still waiting for a confirmation on the postponement from AFC. But AIFF General Secretary Kushal Das told InsideSport that ATK Mohun Bagan have been asked to cancel travelling arrangements.
The All India Football Federation (AIFF), however, is waiting for confirmation from AFC. “We haven’t heard anything from AFC officially. The information we have at present, ATK Mohun Bagan have been asked to cancel plans to travel to the Maldives for AFC Cup matches,” Kushal Das told Insidesport.
Bengaluru FC owner Parth Jindal, meanwhile, accepted the mistake and apologised for the behaviours of the three foreign players. “On behalf of @bengalurufc I am extremely sorry for the inexcusable behavior of three of our foreign players/staff while in Male – the strictest action will be taken against these players/staff. We have let @AFCCup down and can only say that this will never happen again,” he said.
AFC Cup 2021: Maldives’ Sports Minister accuses Bengaluru FC of breaching COVID-19 restrictions.
Meanwhile, the Maldives sports minister has informed the Football Association of Maldives (FAM) that they cannot hold the match and have asked to make arrangements for BFC’s departure. “We have informed FAM that we cannot hold the match, and asked them to make arrangements for @bengalurufc’s departure. We will be in further correspondence with AFC through @MaldivesFA to postpone the group stage,” he wrote on his Twitter handle.
Mahloof had made the allegations after local media reports about the breach of Covid-19 protocols by BFC players. The country has restricted Indian travellers due to rising cases of Covid-19 in the country. But the ISL clubs were given exemption given their matches in the country. As per the guidelines, players need to be confined to a room and are only allowed to leave the room for a match or practice.
But as per the reports, several players were seen taking photographs on the streets. One of the players who was spotted on the street was Australian midfielder Erik Paartalu. The players reached the Maldives on Friday.