New Delhi, (Asian independent) The All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Sunday decided to postpone the play-offs for the Indian Women’s League (IWL), scheduled to be held in Delhi from April 7, until further notice due to a spike in Covid-19 cases in the country.
“After internal discussions and communication with the clubs and State Associations and keeping in mind the safety and security of players and officials in view of the rise in Covid-19 cases all over the country, the play-offs for the Hero Indian Women’s League scheduled to be held in Delhi from April 7, 2021, has been postponed until further notice,” the AIFF said in a statement.
The federation added, “We once again urge the State Associations conducting competitions to take utmost precautions relating to the health and safety of the players.”
The play-offs were scheduled from April 7-14 but with the AIFF going for a postponement, the status of the tournament is uncertain. Nine teams — Travancore FC (Kerala), Sethu FC (Tamil Nadu), MM Football Club (Punjab), Shirsh Bihar United FC, Techtro Swades United FC (Himachal Pradesh), Barwani FC (Madhya Pradesh), Gokulam Kerala FC, BBK DAV (Punjab) and Mata Rukmani FC (Chattisgarh), were slated to play in the qualifiers.
The Indian Women’s League is scheduled in Bhubaneswar from April 21 but now with the play-offs postponed, it’s unlikely the event will take place as scheduled.