Premier League bosses forced to postpone tournament one week before first match

Premier League bosses have been forced to postpone a major youth tournament in Mumbai. The Next Gen Cup has been scrapped because of rising military tensions between and with growing security and safety fears.

Prem officials have followed the example of other sports with the Pakistan Cricket Board already announcing they are moving the remaining eight matches of the Pakistan Super League to the . Several top flight teams were due to take part in the youth football tournament to be held in Mumbai next weekend.

They have held extensive talks and discussions about the event after closely monitoring the situation and have taken the decision with the safety of the players at the forefront of their minds. It was due to be the sixth edition of the under-19s tournament with teams from the , and South Africa taking part.

The Next Gen Cup has been in conjunction with the Indian Super League and Reliance Foundation charity with different English teams invited each year. This year would have been held just weeks after the Premier League announced it was opening an office in India.

The Premier League announced: “Based in Mumbai, the new office will build on the Premier League’s long standing work to engage local fans and partners and promote football in India, while supporting the continued growth of the League and its clubs.” But the Next Gen has now been put on hold for this year amid the escalating tensions.

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Meanwhile, the Premier League is running a mental health campaign entitled Inside Matters around this weekend’s fixtures. It will be a visible campaign with logos, videos and messaging to encourage fans to make a call or to check in on friends and family.

It includes boss Graham Potter, who speaks with his brother, and Brentford’s Thomas Frank, who checks in with his mother-in-law. Premier League Chief Executive Richard Masters said: “ has a unique ability to bring people together and spark conversations. We want to harness this power to encourage fans to check in on those they care about.”

defender Dan Burn is another player supporting ‘Inside Matters’. He recently met Toon legend Alan Shearer to discuss the importance of talking about mental wellbeing in a showthat will air this weekend.

Burn said: “Mental health does not discriminate, it affects everybody. You might think you’re the only person going through difficulties, but when you speak about it and open up to people you realise that everyone has something going on.

“When I have struggled, I was very lucky that I had a good network around me to help me through difficult times. I would always encourage people to take the time to check in on others.”

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