NEW DELHI: All India Football Federation president Praful Patel on Monday sounded a note of caution while discussing the upcoming Indian football season 2020-21, which is scheduled to kick off from next month. The AIFF chief noted that with many states still battling the COVID-19 virus, there was always a doubt whether everything would go according to plan.
Patel made his comments while chairing a virtual AIFF meeting Monday, which had representatives from all the state associations in attendance.
Patel noted: “I understand that the COVID pandemic has made life difficult for all of us – not just for football but for all issues regarding our livelihood. The sport has been very badly affected worldwide, and matches are being played behind closed doors.
“The Indian football season is all set to kick-off from October onwards. Despite the difficult situation we hope to move ahead with the planned calendar. But there’s always a doubt whether we would be able to conduct ourselves as planned.”
The AIFF president further informed: “A large number of states are still battling the virus, our teams cannot reassemble, and we also cannot start our camps. In a country as big and diverse as India, there are many restrictions in many states.
“Even the Leagues are getting curtailed, and it’s not good for the game and the players. 2020 has been a very difficult year for sports.”
The key takeaway from Patel’s comments? With no signs of the COVID curve flattening in India, the best laid plans being drawn up by the AIFF could well be thrown out of whack by the reality on the ground.
Related Report
COVID solidarity fund: AIFF to grant Rs30m to state associations
