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The All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Sunday confirmed that defender Anirudh Thapa has been cleared to join the team squad in Doha, Qatar.
Thapa had tested positive for COVID-19 and he was under isolation. He had even missed India's Qualifier against Qatar earlier this week. "Camp update from Doha: Anirudh Thapa who was in isolation on advice of LOC medical team since June 3 has been cleared by the LOC Doctor to rejoin the team after subsequent tests, and being under observation," the official handle of Indian football team tweeted. AIFF General Secretary Kushal Das on Saturday had confirmed that defender Anirudh Thapa had tested positive for Covid-19. He further said the CT score of the footballer is good and a retest will be done in another one or two days' time. "Yes, Anirudh Thapa is Covid positive. He has been in isolation, I think they will do another test. Although he is positive, his CT value is quite good. In Qatar, if the CT value is less than 30 then you are considered Covid positive. They will keep him in isolation, they will conduct another test in 1 or 2 days' time," Das told ANI. Thapa did not feature in India's World Cup Qualifier match against Qatar on June 3. The Blue Tigers lost the match 0-1 despite goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu's heroics. A dominant Qatar beat 10-man India 1-0 in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, and AFC Asian Cup China 2023 preliminary joint round 2 qualification at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha. Qatar led 1-0 at half-time, Abdel Aziz Hatim making the difference between the two sides, slotting in a 34th-minute winner. The last time the two teams met in September 2019, India had held the Asian champions to a goalless draw. Courtesy of the result, India stays on three points from six matches, while Qatar sits pretty on top of Group E with 19 points from seven matches. The Blue Tigers will next lock horns against Bangladesh on Monday. (ANI)
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