Kerala Blasters FC head coach Ivan Vukomanovic on Saturday said nobody is talking about football anymore because everyone is concerned about the COVID-19 scare in the Indian Super League.
Kerala is all set to face Mumbai City FC in match 62 of the Indian Super League (ISL) 2021-22 at the Tilak Maidan Stadium, Vasco da Gama on Sunday.
Vukomanovic's men sit top of the table with 20 points in 11 games. Their only loss of the campaign came against ATK Mohun Bagan in the opening fixture of the season and are now closely followed by Jamshedpur FC, who have 19 points.
In the pre-match press conference, when asked about that KBFC hasn't trained in three days, the coach replied: "Well, it's obviously not easy, seeing the circumstances not just for our club but so far I think nine clubs are in lockdown. Nobody is talking about football anymore because everyone is concerned. We have families here. So I just hope everybody stays safe. I have confidence in the ISL people. They have things under control. But of course it's not easy."
When asked if he wants to postpone the match against Mumbai, he said: "I would like for us to continue to play. But this situation is worldwide, not just inside our bubble. I have confidence in ISL people. They will sort out everything like it has to be. Of course for footballers it's not easy."
"When you don't train, the risk of injury goes up. From a human being perspective, knowing that you can infect other people is a feeling that doesn't give you confidence to play a match. We are grateful to federation people for taking care of us," he added.
Kerala Blasters FC defeated Odisha FC 2-0 in their last match. Nishu Kumar and Harmanjot Singh Khabra were the two scorers for them.
On Saturday, the Indian Super League (ISL) match between ATK Mohun Bagan and Bengaluru FC was postponed.
( With inputs from ANI )
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