COVID-Hit India Fail To Field Team, Forced To Withdraw From Women’s Asian Cup

Navi Mumbai: COVID-19 outbreak in the Indian squad forced the home team to withdraw from the Women’s Asian Cup football tournament on Sunday.

India were scheduled to face Chinese Taipei at DY Patil Stadium this evening in a must-win Group A game to keep alive their quarterfinal hopes. But about a dozen members of the Indian squad tested positive for coronavirus, as a result of which they couldn’t name the minimum 13 players required to play the match and were forced to pull out of the tournament.

Chinese Taipei players and match officials entered the field at 6.30 pm, an hour before the scheduled kick-off for pre-match warm-up drills. But the Indians didn’t even travel to the venue.

The match was officially called off at 7.30 pm.

Two members of the Indian camp had tested positive before their first match against Iran, which ended in a goalless draw.

Asian Football Confederation said the tournament will continue without the hosts.

The 12-nation tournament, is being played in front of empty stadium and in a bio-bubble.