India’s FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifier at home against Qatar is likely to be postponed after FIFA and AFC made a formal proposal for the same after a meeting in Zurich on Thursday.
Apart from the game against Qatar, India is also scheduled to play a friendly versus Tajikistan in March.
Already out of contention after failing to win even a single game, India is scheduled to play 2022 tournament host Qatar in Bhubaneswar on March 26, followed by matches against Bangladesh and Afghanistan in June. India is now seeking to qualify for the 2023 Asian Cup.
FIFA and AFC have sent the proposal to the relevant member associations to postpone the match. An update on these fixtures will be announced after consultation with the associations. The decision was made keeping in mind the well-being and health of all individuals involved.
Monitoring the situation
FIFA said it will continue to monitor the situation in relation to the coronavirus outbreak in cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO), the confederations and the member associations.
The other matches discussed were the women’s Olympic Games play-off between Korea Republic and China PR and the AFC Futsal championship in Turkmenistan.
According to the Indonesian football association, matches scheduled to take place in March and June have been moved to October and November respectively.
