Indian Super League side FC Goa are going to field an all-Indian squad against Al Wahda at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium Fatorda, Goa due to COVID Closure in Spain.
Spanish defender Ivan Gonzalez was the only one to be unavailable for the fixture. But with the rise in COVID 19 in the country. The foreign countries have put India on the red list. The club has decided to let the foreigners leave before the conclusion of the AFC Champions League.
The decision came when Chief minister Pramod Sawant decided to announce a 4-day lockdown, starting today onwards. If they don’t make it to Spain tonight they might get stuck for another 1 month. According to some unknown sources it is being said that. ” Spain will impose a mandatory quarantine for everybody traveling from India. There could be a travel ban too, besides we don’t know about the restriction or a lockdown here. It made sense for them to leave immediately”.
Besides the Spanish players: Ivan, Edu, and Ortiz. Coach Ferrando and conditioning coach Javier Gonzalez are also on their way home. Besides them, Australian defender Donachie has also left for home. Before the news came in, Ferrando said his target is to acquire the three points against Al Wahda now. ” Our mentality is to get three points. That’s the plan, whether we have success or not, depends on a lot of factors. But our target all the time is to win games”.
FC Goa Journey in ACL so far, Spanish staff need to leave India Immediately due to COVID restrictions in Spain.
Goa has done a decent job so far in the Champions League. The Gaurs almost recorded their historic win against Al Rayyan. Coached by Laurent Blanc. Goa is currently third in the group with 3 points. Goa has only lost against the group leaders Persepolis FC.
Persepolis expected to top the group and qualify for the next round. Al Wahda would be hoping to qualify too by being in the 2nd position. They would want to win against Goa to secure their spot in the next round of ACL. So, it would make an interesting match where both the team will be eager to secure the 3 point But, it might be really tough for Goa because half of their team is leaving due to COVID-19.
Do follow us on Twitter to get latest news updates related to Indian Football.
For more football updates, make sure to follow us on:
