Football in the time of emergency! When Bengaluru FC headed to crisis-hit Maldives for a game

Last year, Indian football club Bengaluru FC got a taste of North Korean football and hospitality — complete with missile launches and lost luggage. And this year, the players flew to the politically troubled Maldives for the AFC Cup.

As the political crisis continues in the island nation, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had issued an advisory asking the team and all those headed to Maldives to defer their travel till the situation improves. However, with a game to play and win, the team, despite lacking star players like captain Sunil Chhetri and Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, managed to beat TC Sports Club Maldives 3-2.

Speaking about the team’s time in Maldives, where the situation seems to be worsening, the spokesperson of club told ETPanache, “We were just advised not to go. The government did not prevent us. We wanted to win which we did. If we did not go, we would lose the match. Things were normal there and the Maldives armed forces ensured that our team and management were safe.”.