Kochi: The Indian men’s football team faced fresh embarrassment before taking the field on Thursday. National team head coach Khalid Jamil and the team were denied entry to the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium in Kochi, the venue for India’s Asia Cup qualifier against Hong Kong on March 31. Jamil arrived at the stadium to inspect the pitch and attend a scheduled press conference, but officials from the Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) denied him entry.Push boundaries with our YouTube channel. Subscribe now!GCDA security personnel also prevented the Indian team from conducting training at the stadium. The team must then kerala blastersThe training ground is located in Tripunithura, 10 kilometers away from the stadium. GCDA staff said they were acting on the instructions of the secretary and president and not allowing anyone to enter the stadium until the full rent and deposit are paid by the Kerala Football Association (KFA). The Kerala Football Association is the organizer of the Asia Cup qualifier between India and Hong Kong, which will be held here on March 31.
“The Asian Cup qualifiers will proceed as planned. What happened on Thursday was a minor technical issue that will be resolved soon,” said Navas Meran, chairman of the Korean Football Association.The GCDA is seeking a security deposit of Rs 25 lakh and supporting rent of Rs 3 lakh. The Korean Football Association agreed to pay, but the GCDA demanded full payment on Thursday before allowing scheduled press conferences and practice matches to go ahead. Although the Korean Football Association asked for more time, the GCDA refused.At the same time, head coach Jameel arrived at the stadium for a press conference and site inspection, but after a long wait at the Kenya Football Association office amid the controversy, he had no choice but to leave. Security guards also prevented journalists from entering for the press conference, saying they had received orders from their superiors not to allow anyone in. The door was then locked.
