Bashundhara Kings. (Twitter)
The Bangladesh side were supposed to reach on Sunday morning as per the tournament guidelines, but they could not board the flight from Dhaka after failing to get visas on time. They later received their travel permit on Sunday evening.
A cloud of uncertainty loomed large over Mohun Bagan Super Giant’s AFC Cup match against Bashundhara Kings in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday after the Bangladesh club claimed that they got visas of their players only Sunday evening.
The Bangladesh side were supposed to reach this morning as per the tournament guidelines, but they could not board the flight from Dhaka after failing to get visas on time.
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”We have got visa late at 8pm today. It’s festive season and getting tickets for 40 people is becoming difficult,” club president Mohammad Imrul Hassan told PTI from Dhaka.
”Our team is trying its best to arrange the tickets. We are hopeful of making it and reaching Bhubaneswar on the eve of the match.” The Bangladesh club wanted a double-entry visa because it has to play two matches in India but the AIFF had given an invitation for single entry, for which the national federation, according to sources, cannot be faulted.
Bashundhara’s second match is against Odisha FC on December 11, a good 50 days after the match against Mohun Bagan.
The AIFF later gave an invitation for a double-entry visa on September 20.
”We have already booked our tickets and the flight is on 22 October 2023 at 10.15am which was informed to all parties in due time,” Hassan said in a letter sent to the Asian Football Confederation’s Competitions Department before his club got the visas.
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”Our accommodation is also booked. All these bookings were made with advance payment and now it is not possible to change them so as to have a new set of tickets of such high volume is unlikely at the late stage.” Mohun Bagan, who are leading Group D with all wins from two matches, will keep their date and reach Bhubaneswar on Monday morning.
”We will turn up at the ground, if they forfeit the match we will get a walkover and three goals as per the rules,” a team official told PTI.
Mohun Bagan’s match is slated for a 9.30pm kick-off on Tuesday, the second match of the day after Odisha’s fixture against Maziya of Maldives(5.30pm).
Mohun Bagan’s away match against Bashundhara Kings is scheduled for November 7.
Bashundhara also have a home match against Maziya on November 27.
Third-placed Bashundhara have three points from two matches to lie behind Maziya on goal difference.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)