The South Asian Football Federation Championship 2023 is set to commence on Tuesday, June 21, with an eagerly anticipated match between India and Pakistan at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru. The highly anticipated game is scheduled to kick off at 7:30 PM IST on Wednesday. The arrival of the Pakistan team from Mauritius encountered some uncertainty due to delays in visa processing. However, all pending visa applications were ultimately cleared by the Indian Embassy on Monday night, ensuring the smooth travel of the Pakistan squad to India for the tournament.
Prior to their journey to India, the Pakistan team had participated in the Four-Nation tournament held in Mauritius, where Djibouti emerged as the winner. Following their campaign in Mauritius, the team was scheduled to travel to India for the SAFF Championship. However, the arrival of the Pakistan team in India was surrounded by apprehension due to delays in visa processing.
The delay in the Pakistan team's departure from Mauritius occurred because the Indian Embassy was closed over the previous weekend, resulting in a significant delay in visa clearance.
The SAFF Championship match between India and Pakistan is still on schedule as planned. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) is closely monitoring the situation and remains confident that there will be no need to reschedule the match at this stage.
The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) attributed the late issuance of the No Objection Certificate (NOC) to play in India to the country's National Sports Board. However, the sports board responded by stating that the federation had submitted the necessary documents for the NOC at the last minute, leading to the delay in the process.