AIFF says Nepal has offered to play friendlies against India

The AIFF said that it was in the process of "finalising the proposal" with the head coach of India, Igor Stimac.

File Photo: After the friendlies against Nepal, the Indian Football team will participate in the SAFF tournament this October.

Nepal has offered to play two international friendlies against India during the August 30-September 7 window after the All India Football Federation (AIFF) could not get other teams on board due to COVID-19 restrictions.

AIFF will organise a 15-day camp for the senior men's national team starting August 15 in preparation for the two international games the country is likely to play during that FIFA window.

“At the moment, there aren't any quarantine restrictions for Indian citizens visiting Nepal," the AIFF said in a statement.

"At the moment most countries in Asia have very strict quarantine rules for visitors coming in from other countries, and owing to the current pandemic situation Indian citizens are also not allowed to travel to certain countries.

The AIFF had even tossed up the idea of playing international friendlies in Europe with countries from Africa and Asia, but even there the quarantine rules played spoilsport, the federation said.

"Moreover, with the current stringent restriction of visitors coming to India for government guidelines pertaining to health parameters, no other team can visit India during the time frame without going through quarantine protocols," added AIFF.

Thanking Nepal Football Association, the AIFF said it is in the process of "finalising the proposal" with head coach, Igor Stimac.

After the friendlies, India will participate in the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) tournament in October.