Bengaluru FC has issued a statement apologising for the breach in coronavirus protocols in Maldives by two of its players and a staff member, following which all Group D matches of the 2021 AFC Cup were postponed indefinitely. Bengaluru FC were scheduled to play Club Eagles on May 11 but earlier in the day, the country’s Sports Minister Ahmed Mahloof took to Twitter to show displeasure in Bengaluru FC’s behaviour and asked for arrangements to be made for the club to leave the country “immediately".
Later, Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced that no Group D matches will take place. Bengaluru FC were to play Eagles FC after which the Group D matches were scheduled to start on May 14 with fellow Indian Super League (ISL) side ATK Mohun Bagan facing the winners of the playoff.
Here is the statement made by Bengaluru FC:
“Bengaluru FC’s 2021 AFC Cup Playoff Stage clash against Eagles FC has been postponed under (sic) further notice, as confirmed by the Asian Football Confederation on Sunday. The club is making arrangements to get all its players and staff home at the earliest.“Bengaluru FC would also like to place on record an unconditional apology for a health and safety breach, involving one member of staff and two players, in the Maldives, on Sunday.“The club has held the highest standard of safety and precaution throughout the pandemic, and this error in judgment in no way aligns or indicates otherwise stringent measures that the club has maintained over the course of the season.“The club will be dealing with this matter internally and no further statement will be made."Maldives’ Minister of Youth, Sports & Community Empowerment, Ahmed Mahloof condemned Bengaluru FC’s behaviour but did not describe the nature of the breach in protocol.
He wrote, “Unacceptable behavior from @bengalurufc breaching the strict guidelines from HPA & @theafcdotcom.. The club should leave (Maldives) immediately as we can’t entertain this act. We honoured the commitment we gave a few months back even with the surge in cases & pressure from the public."
The recent guidelines set by the Ministry of Tourism of Maldives set for tourists coming from India says that tourists can only stay in one place (where they book their resort) during their entire trip and no island-hopping is allowed.
AFC, in their postponement statement, also said, “Participating clubs who have travelled to Maldives will be required to arrange for their return home while adhering to the COVID-19 health and travel protocols put in place by the country. At the same time, the AFC is in contact with all other Participating clubs and officials who have not entered the Maldives to cancel their travel arrangements."
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