Aizawl FC breathed a sigh of relief on the eve of their I-League clash against Neroca FC as star defender Masih Saighani finally got the Protected Area Permit (PAP) required for Afghan nationals to enter the state of Manipur.
"Masih comes tomorrow morning and will play the match straight away. He got the permit. I am relieved just a little bit as we still will be having only one central back," Aizawl's Portuguese coach Paulo Menezes told IANS.
Aizawl have injuries and suspensions to key players especially at the heart of their defence.
C.Lalrosanga got a red card in their last game against Churchill Brothers while Kareem Omolaja has been ruled out of the season after picking up an injury in the reverse fixture in Aizawl. Centre back Lalriatrenga is also injured.
The 31-year-old Saighani, meanwhile, had landed here on Wednesday with his team but he was initially not allowed to leave the airport and enter Imphal city.
But, after the intervention of the Neroca FC owner, he was allowed to spend the night at the team hotel with special permission. He left Imphal on Thursday morning and was waiting for the clearance in Guwahati. The match is at 2 p.m. and he is expected to straight away take part in the afternoon kickoff at the Khuman Lampak Main Stadium.
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Aizawl are currently at the sixth position in the league table with 16 points from 12 games while Neroca are placed second with 27 points from 14 matches.
--IANS
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