New Delhi, Sep 21 (IANS): All India Football Federation (AIFF) President Praful Patel on Monday evening met all state association representatives in a virtual meeting. Presidents and General Secretaries of affiliated state associations were in attendance, as was the General Secretary of the AIFF.

The President decided to waive of the CRS fees for all players - an amount of Rs 1.32 crore which was to be paid to the AIFF, and also an amount of Rs 34.5 lakhs for the academy accreditation fee for the 2020-21 season.

Furthermore, he also granted a Rs 3 crore Covid solidarity fund to help the state associations which would be discussed individually with the state associations to understand their individual requirements. However, the WIFA and the IFA announced their decision to forego the grant.

"I understand that the Covid pandemic has made life difficult for all of us - not just for football but for all issues regarding our livelihood," Patel stated. "The sport has been very badly affected worldwide, and matches are being played behind closed doors.

"The Indian football season is all set to kick-off from October onwards. Despite the difficult situation we hope to move ahead with the planned calendar. But there's always a doubt whether we would be able to conduct ourselves as planned," he added.

Patel pointed out that a large number of states were still battling the coronavirus, because of which the teams have not been able to reassemble and the camps have not been started.

"Even the Leagues are getting curtailed, and it's not good for the game and the players. 2020 has been a very difficult year for sports," the President maintained.