The Pakistan football team has arrived in India for the SAFF Championship, but more than half the players will reach their Bengaluru base only six hours before the kickoff time. Pakistan face India, with the match scheduled to start at 7:30 pm.
The team, which had been playing in Mauritius, has been on the road for the last 17 hours and has made multiple requests to the organizers - South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) - to reschedule the game. However, ESPN understands that the SAFF has said that won't be possible and that the game will go on as scheduled today.
The Pakistan team departed Mauritius at 5:30 pm [local time] on Tuesday and landed in Mumbai at 1 am on Wednesday. Since they could not find 32 tickets on a single flight, the team was split into two flights from Mumbai to Bengaluru. However, due to delays at the airport, the second group - which has 14 players - missed their flight.
"We landed in Mumbai at 1:30 am, but there were no officials at the passport control office. They came after 30 minutes and gave us a few forms to fill out including the visa form, which we had already filled and submitted to the authorities before arriving in Mumbai," Hasnain Haider, Pakistan's team manager, told ESPN.
"The process took quite some time and the first group just about managed to board their flight at 3:55 am [six players and six team officials]. However, the second group [14 players and six officials] missed their flight because their forms took longer to be approved," he added.
Next stop - ����#wearepakistanfootball #dilsayfootball #shaheens pic.twitter.com/TcD08dhC9Q
- Pakistan Football Federation (@TheRealPFF) June 20, 2023
That meant the Pakistan management had to find another flight to accommodate the second group, which has most of their main players. They managed to secure 20 tickets on a flight that left Mumbai at 9:15 am and would reach Bengaluru around 11 am. The players are expected to reach their hotel, which is close to the Kanteerava Stadium, by 1 pm.
Despite the gruelling travel, the players are keen to play, said Haider. "The players are ready to play, but obviously they are not in the best condition. None of them has caught any sleep and we've been travelling for nearly 17 hours now," he said.
India coach Igor Stimac, in a press conference on Tuesday, said Pakistan would be a team to watch out for. "Pakistan have 6-7 players who have developed abroad and are playing abroad. The team has played three games in 10 days and are in a good competitive mode. We'll prepare with a deep analysis because they might be the surprise of the tournament," he had said.
Stimac on India vs Pakistan: Pakistan have 6-7 players who have been developed abroad and are playing abroad. The team has played 3 games in 10 days and are in a good competitive mode. We'll prepare with a deep analysis because they might be surprise of the tournament.#SAFF2023 pic.twitter.com/LCgJRkTbZ8
- Shyam Vasudevan (@JesuisShyam) June 20, 2023
Pakistan come into the SAFF Championship on the back of four successive losses at the Four Nation tournament they played in Mauritius. June 21 will mark the first football game between India and Pakistan since September 2018, when India beat Pakistan 3-1 in the semifinal of the SAFF Championship.
Pakistan begin their campaign against defending SAFF champions India on June 21, then take on Kuwait on June 24 before facing Nepal on June 27.