KUALA LUMPUR, Nov 25: Pakistan and Sri Lanka will provide the early obstacles for India as it bids for a third consecutive South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship next year.

A draw ceremony Sunday pit the three countries in Group A, according to a statement by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

Hosts and 1999 beaten finalist Bangladesh head Group B along with Nepal, Maldives and Bhutan, who are making their debut.

The competition, which began in 1997, is to determine the top football nation of South Asia.

The Indian team, which claimed the trophy in 1997 and 1999, will be looking for a hat trick of titles in the third championship which will be held in Dhaka, Bangladesh, from Jan 26 to Feb 5.

Meanwhile, the 2002 World Cup will be the “safest ever” with a host of security measures being mapped out following the September 11 attacks on the United States, FIFA’s general secretary said Sunday.

Football’s world governing body FIFA had held a series of meetings with hosts Japan and South Korea to overhaul security plans for the games, Michel Zen-Ruffinen told a press conference here at the end of an Asian football seminar.—AFP