New Delhi, March 3: Indian U-16 football team's exposure trip to Tajikistan has been cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak. The U-16 boys, currently the U-15 SAFF Champions, were slated to depart on March 5 to play two friendlies against Tajikistan, the AFC U-16 Championship runners-up.

"Please note that as directed by the government of the republic of Tajikistan due to the situation around the coronavirus, the citizens of 35 countries including India cannot visit Tajikistan," Tajikistan Football Federation said in an official mail to All India Football Federation (AIFF). Coronavirus Scare in India: PM Narendra Modi Says Extensive Review Done, 'No Need to Panic'.

"In view of the above, the friendly matches between our teams stay cancelled." The deadly virus, which has killed over 3,100 people and infected over 90,000 globally, has wrecked havoc on the international calendar of various sporting events across the globe and has even put the upcoming Tokyo Olympics under doubt.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)