FIFA proposes postponing upcoming Word Cup qualifiers owing to coronavirus
Zurich: World football governing body FIFA on Thursday proposed postponing all the upcoming 2022 World Cup and 2023 Asian Cup Cup qualifiers, including India's home game against Qatar, due to the rising coronavirus threat.
FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) met at the apex body's headquarters here to discuss football activities in Asia.
Already out of World Cup contention after failing to win 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.
"For both FIFA and the AFC, the well-being and health of all individuals involved in football matches remains the highest priority, and as such, a formal proposal to postpone upcoming matches in the Asian FIFA World Cup 2022 and AFC Asian Cup 2023 qualifiers will now be shared with the relevant member associations," FIFA said in a statement.
FIFA and the AFC will provide an update on these fixtures in the coming days following consultation with the AFC member associations.
"FIFA will continue to monitor the situation in relation to COVID-19 in cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO), the confederations and the member associations.
"Information on other international matches may be provided by the relevant confederation or member association."
Although the Blue Tigers lost their World Cup qualifier opener to Oman, they kept their chances alive after holding Asian champions Qatar to a goalless draw away. But last-minute draws against Bangladesh and Afghanistan followed by a narrow 1-0 away loss to Oman put them out of contention.
India is now seeking to qualify for the 2023 Asian Cup.
Other topics of discussion during the meeting were the women's Olympic play-off between Korea Republic and China, as well as the AFC Futsal Championship Turkmenistan 2020.
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Man arrested with Rs 2.54-crore heroin in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.
The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.
Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.
The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.
Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.
The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.
