New Delhi: The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced team India’s official withdrawal from the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2022 on Monday, January 24, 2022. The host country experienced a coronavirus outbreak and withdrew from the event.
The AFC said, “Following the cancellation of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup India 2022 Group A match between Chinese Taipei and India, team India is considered to have withdrawn from the competition in accordance with Article 4.1 of the Special Rules Applicable to AFC Competitions during the Covid-19 pandemic. All matches of India are now cancelled and considered null and void.”
The AFC will not consider the match between India and Iran while determining the final Group A rankings.
The regulating bodies cancelled the Group A match between India and Chinese Taipei earlier due to Indian players suffering from the virus. “Following several positive cases of COVID-19, India failed to name the required minimum of 13 players for the Group A match against Chinese Taipei,” the AFC added.
The Iran, China, and Taiwan teams will compete on behalf of Group A.
The President of the All India Football Federation (AIFF), Praful Patel, said, “We are as disappointed as probably the entire nation with this unwarranted situation. However, the players’ health and well-being are of paramount importance to us and cannot be compromised under any circumstances. I wish all the infected players and team officials a swift and full recovery. They will be well supported by the AIFF and the AFC.”
(Avya Mathur)
