Mizoram Football Association’s Tetea Hmar thanks Praful Patel for Covid-19 solidarity fund

All India Football Federation (AIFF) president Praful Patel announced the sanctioning of a Covid-19 solidarity fund worth INR 3 crores to help the state associations amidst the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.

On Monday, Patel had met the representatives of the state associations in a virtual meeting where the Indian FA chief announced the relief package.

Mizoram Football Association’s (MFA) general secretary, Lalnghinglova ‘Tetea’ Hmar hailed the Indian FA and its president’s efforts to help the state associations financially during these tough times.

“Most state associations do not have any sponsor. They are running without any stable financial backup. We try to get sponsorship from our small resources. But due to this pandemic, sponsorship is very difficult to get.

“Nevertheless, the show must go on and this grant is a huge blessing for the states. It is going to be a huge relief for us. We thank the AIFF for this thoughtful move,” said the MFA secretary.

The Indian FA also decided to waive off the CRS (Centralised Registration System) fees for all players – forgoing an amount to the tune INR 1.32 crores. The AIFF will also be waiving of an amount of INR 34.5 lakhs which they would have received as Academy Accreditation fee for the 2020-21 season.

The decision of providing financial aid by Praful Patel is a welcome move for all the state associations who have been hit hard financially during the pandemic. The onus will now be on them to restart footballing activities in their respective areas as and when the situation permits.