Indian football squad’s 10-day quarantine waived off by Qatar

Doha, May 20  The 28-member Indian national football squad, which arrived in Doha on Wednesday to play in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers and the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers, had their 10-day quarantine period waived off by the Qatar Football Federation (QFA).

The players and support staff, though, will remain in compulsory quarantine till they receive the results of the RT-PCR tests conducted in Doha. The squad will thereafter be allowed to kick off their preparatory camp as part of their preparation for the three matches starting June 3.

“The Group E World Cup Qualifiers will be played inside a secure bio bubble. We understand that there are certain mandatory health parameters, which need to be adhered to upon arrival in Doha, which we will with complete diligence,” All India Football Federation (AIFF) general secretary Kushal Das said on Thursday.

AIFF president Praful Patel had detailed chats with the president of the Qatar FA who raised our concern with the Prime Minister’s Office, after which the 10-day quarantine period was waived off,” Das said.

“We are grateful to the Qatar FA for the manner they went out of the way and helped us begin our camp in Qatar early.”

India are currently on three points from three matches in Group E. While they are out of contention to progress in the World Cup qualifiers, they are still within a shot of qualifying for the Asian Cup.

India will play Asian champions Qatar on June 3, Bangladesh on June 7, and Afghanistan on June 15.