Following the postponement of its AFC Cup playoff match against Eagles FC after a violation of Covid-19 protocols by three members of the visiting team, Indian Super League (ISL) club Bengaluru FC (BFC) has returned back home from Maldives.
BFC touched down Bengaluru around 8.30pm local time on Monday evening after which all the players and staffs went into a mandatory quarantine in line with the standard protocols.
Notably, the postponement of the game came after Maldives sports minister Ahmed Mahloof had asked BFC to leave, citing breach of COVID-19 protocols, a sentiment which was echoed by club owner Parth Jindal.
“Bengaluru FC’s 2021 AFC Cup playoff stage clash against Eagles FC has been postponed until further notice, as confirmed by the Asian Football Confederation on Sunday. The club is making all arrangements to get all its players and staff home at the earliest,” BFC had said in a statement.
The match was to take place on Tuesday.
Significantly, the postponement came as several reports said that few players of the BFC were seen on a street at Male, which was a violation of the quarantine rules.
The club later issued an apology saying: “Bengaluru FC would like to place on record an unconditional apology for a health and safety breach, involving one member of staff and two players, in the Maldives, on Saturday. The club will be dealing with this matter internally.”