Final round of Santosh Trophy postponed over coronavirus scare

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has postponed the final round of Santosh Trophy 2019-20 in wake of the coronavirus outbreak.

The final round of the National Football Championship (NFC) for the Santosh Trophy was scheduled to be held from April 14 to April 27 in Aizawl and Mizoram.

In a letter to the State Associations who have qualified for the final round of the Championship, the All India Football Federation wrote: "As AIFF is more concerned about the safety and health of all players and officials involved, it has decided to postpone the matches of the final round of the NFC for the Hero Santosh Trophy to be held from 14th to 27th April in Aizawl, Mizoram to later dates."

"AIFF will be monitoring the situation of the coronavirus outbreak and decide on the fresh dates, which will be communicated to the participants in due course," the letter further stated.

Coronavirus emerged in Wuhan, China, last December and has now spread to more than 100 countries across the globe. The global death toll is nearing 3,800.

The total number of persons tested positive for COVID-19 in India is 44 now.