Kochi: The turf war continues

Football fans and Kerala Blasters FC players have gone all out against tearing up of the grass pitch at Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium in Kochi.
Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium at Kaloor
Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium at Kaloor

KOCHI:  Football fans and Kerala Blasters FC players have gone all out against tearing up of the grass pitch at Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium in Kochi. But moving one or the other sport out of the city shouldn’t be the ideal solution

Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) imploring the possibility of holding India vs West Indies ODI allotted to them by the BCCI at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium in Kochi -- a stadium they have leased from its owners GCDA till 2043 -- has kicked up a social media storm.

The football fans and Kerala Blasters FC players, including Iain Hume and Vineeth C K, have gone all out against tearing up of the grass pitch laid ahead of the 2017 FIFA Under-17 World Cup. But moving one or the other sport out of the city shouldn’t be the ideal solution that the cricket and football fans must be looking for.

The latest clash of dates between cricket and football and the resultant uproar once again brings to fore the demand for a proper football-exclusive stadium in Kochi. And it would seem if anyone, it will be the Blasters, with their huge fan base and marketability, who have the means to realise that long cherished dream of the football aficionados.

“We wanted to see whether both the sports can go hand-in-hand like in 2014 when the ISL agreed to have Kerala Blasters’ home matches a few weeks after the India-WI ODI. A meeting between GCDA, Kerala Football Association, KCA, Blasters, and ISL will be held on Tuesday to discuss this,” said KCA secretary Jayesh George.

“I think we can explore a possibility like that this time also, but if the ISL says they can’t shuffle around the football fixtures to accommodate the cricket match, we will move the match to Thiruvananthapuram. It is as simple as that and I do not understand what this uproar is about,” he said adding that the controversy is unwarranted for.

KCA, ahead of Kochi Tuskers Kerala’s IPL matches in 2011, spent around Rs 12 crore to install floodlights and generators and renovate dressing rooms, pavilions, and VIP cubicles. Leasing the stadium for 30 years from 2013, they maintained the venue till 2016 when it was handed over for the conduct of the U-17 WC.

“The world-class cricket wickets that we gave up to host the World Cup had seen some wonderful knocks from great batsmen. It was also on this pitch that Sachin Tendulkar picked up both his five-wicket hauls in one day cricket,” said Jayesh.

“But no cricketers came up protesting the removal of those pitches for the World Cup. We wanted both cricket and football matches to be held in Kochi and we expect the same respect back from the football fans and authorities,” he added.

“We expect to get the rights to host more matches in the coming years including Test matches. And our plan is to alternate between Thiruvananthapuram and Kochi. If the upcoming ODI is held in Kochi, the next international match allotted will go to the Greenfield International Stadium,” said Jayesh.
Another KCA official said the association will be forced to pull out of the deal with GCDA if they are not able to host international matches. But such a scenario will bring up more questions than answers.

“However, an agreement had been reached between KCA and GCDA that whenever there is a clash of fixtures, the international match should be given the precedence,” said Anilkumar, KFA secretary. “With the renovation of the stadium for the World Cup, the cost of maintenance has also gone up,” he added.

Will the Blasters, who are running on loss at least for the time being, invest huge sums needed to maintain the stadium if KCA withdraws? “They are a franchise that can technically be terminated at any point of time by the ISL and not like clubs in the I-League or second division. So, I wonder if they will invest such money in a venue,” said another football official.

“It will be very sad to see that the football turf will have to be dug up. If ISL decides to relax their fixtures, both the games can coexist here,” he added.

Related Stories

No stories found.
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com