NEW DELHI: A major hurdle in the Pakistan football team’s participation in this month’s South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Cup was cleared on Wednesday when the All India Football Federation (AIFF) got clearance from the Indian government to host the Pakistan football team.
According to reports, India’s home, external affairs and sports ministries have provided all required clearances for Pakistan’s participation in the tournament.
The regional football tournament will be played in Bangalore from June 21 to July 4, and for the event, Pakistan will be in India from June 18 to July 5.
The AIFF has sent an email to the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) providing them with all necessary documents along with the official invitation letter.
The documents have also been forwarded to the Indian embassies in Islamabad and Mauritius for issuance of visas to Pakistan football team members. A PFF official was quoted as saying that Pakistan is planning to apply for Indian visas from Mauritius as the team is flying there to participate in a four-nation tournament. Pakistan’s foreign office has also issued clearance for the team to travel to Mauritius, a decision on the team’s visit to India is yet to be made by the foreign office.
