The words "Absolutely devastated", and a broken heart emoji. The words "Speechless, heartbroken and sad".
And that's it.
A day on from the sudden cancellation of India's AFC Asian Women's Cup match against Chinese Taipei - and the team's subsequent removal from the tournament - these are the only words we have heard from those that have been most affected. The players. The first was tweeted by goalkeeper Aditi Chauhan. The other, by right back Dalima Chhibber.
India's best are now cooped up in their hotel rooms, isolating, COVID-19 ripping through their bio-bubble. They have been thrown out of the tournament they are hosting, their opening day draw against Iran null and voided.
"When a top-down, trickle-down approach is taken, what happens when the top is blown off?"
For some, another tilt at continental glory might come far too late in their professional careers, others - the young ones - have seen two tournaments taken away from them in two years. All of them, for these 23 months, have had nothing else on their minds, no other tangible professional goal to work toward. Now, it's been snatched away in the cruelest of manners. They simply don't know what will happen next.
We've had an AIFF statement with some content you would expect, and accept - supporting the team, saying the future is bright - and some you wouldn't necessarily - "Let there be no fingers pointed at any". We've had two AFC statements that were all legalese. We've read reports and heard murmurs. None of that has addressed the key question - what's going through the player's minds? How is it impacting their psyche?
This tournament, you see, wasn't just important, it was vital. When a top-down, trickle-down approach is taken, what happens when the top is blown off?
The AIFF had put all their proverbial eggs in the Asian Cup basket. Now, a continental championship will always be one of the key targets a football federation works toward, something for which other plans will be tapered toward. That bit is understandable. What isn't is just how they've neglected everything else.
Even in a best-case scenario (one month of IWL, one month of senior nationals, a week or two of international tournaments like the SAFF Championship) the current system is barely enough for India's women to get competitive football action.
This, though, is the worst-case scenario (without tempting fate). There has been no league action for 23 months. In that time, India's women footballers have oscillated between sitting at home, playing amongst themselves in the national camp, and touring countries as diverse as Uzbekistan, Sweden and Brazil for friendlies. Some have been lucky: they have played all of three - yes, three - matches for Gokulam Kerala in the AFC women's club championship; the rest have not kicked a competitive ball since February 2020.
Their male counterparts, meanwhile, have seen one and a half ISLs, one I-League, and two I-League qualifiers in that span.
The AIFF had promised a longer IWL (Indian Women's League) this year, but the conduct of it remains far from certain. Some states have gone ahead with their intra-state leagues - the Kerala league for instance is on right now and defending national champions Gokulam Kerala (without their main players) have qualified for the IWL. Many others have either put theirs on hold, or haven't even started it yet.
The AIFF had been banking on a good showing in the Asian Cup, and a possible qualification for the World Cup to show that Indian women's football was on the right track. Now that it has disappeared, what happens to those stuck on the non-existent track?
Not even the basics are covered. The team's current coach, Thomas Dennerby, will return to coach the U-17 side, from where he had been plucked early last year. Who will lead them now? What will happen to the systems and the strategies he had wanted to inculcate in them during these past months?
"The last time they had made it via merit was 19 years ago. This is not a chance that may come anytime soon. There certainly isn't enough on-the-ground, bottom-up work being done to make sure it does."
It's worth remembering at this point that India had only qualified for this tournament by virtue of being hosts. The last time they had made it via merit was 19 years ago. This is not a chance that may come anytime soon. There certainly isn't enough on-the-ground, bottom-up work being done to make sure it does.
Which brings us back to the players.
"Devastated". "Speechless". "Heartbroken". "Sad". Of course they are.
What will be done about it?