KOCHI: It is that time of the year again when Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium takes on a yellow hue.
“YellowMeinKhelo”, says the Kerala Blasters FC slogan. Indeed, as the Blasters prepare to play their first home match of the season on Wednesday, their sprawling Kochi home of ‘60,000 fan-metre’ was a beehive of activity on Monday.
While the entry points and the galleries have received coats of yellow, it is the shades of green on the playing surface that stands out in anticipation of season three of the Indian Super League. Shortlisted as one of the venues for the FIFA Under-17 World Cup to be held in India next year, the football field now sports a spectacular design of alternating variants of green, a la world class football grounds that fans in India are used to seeing only on television.
FIFA Pitch consultant Matthew Dean Gilasbey has been in Kochi for the past couple of weeks, overseeing work on the playing surface which has been entirely re-laid after removing the five cricket pitches in the middle and improving the drainage system.
While refusing to comment citing contractual obligations, Gilasbey said, “You will see how the pitch is on Wednesday.” His countenance, though, suggested he wasn’t unhappy with the product being laid out.
Of the total budget of Rs 26.5 crore set aside for the renovation of JNI Stadium, the field has been re-laid at a cost of Rs 2.25 crore. The entire turf was raised by 20 cm of sand. With a FIFA inspection scheduled later this month, the ISL matches will be a test of the ground conditions.
“Work on the field has progressed satisfactorily,” Kerala Football Association secretary Anilkumar P told Express.
“The ISL will provide top quality football action to help us know if there are any improvements to be made. As things stand, we are optimistic about getting the approval of the FIFA team.”
While FIFA stipulates that the entire stadium is fitted with bucket seats, the ISL matches will go ahead with the existing structure of chairs on the first tier and cement galleries on the top two tiers.
“The bucket seats will be installed in the entire stadium after the ISL (it runs till December). For now, the broken chairs are being replaced,” the KFA secretary added.
Meanwhile, the Blasters had their first training session on Monday, at the Choice School ground in Tripunithura, after having touched down in Kochi on Sunday following their lone goal defeat to NorthEast United in the season opener in Guwahati.
Giving a glimpse of the fan-fare that awaits the Sachin Tendulkar co-owned side at their home venue, the fans gave the Blasters a rapturous welcome at the Cochin International Airport in Nedumbassery. The beating drums and screams of affection prompted the players, many of them first-timers in the ISL, to take to the social media to express their amazement.
“Blown away by the support!! Unreal! Thank you!” tweeted former Arsenal goalkeeper Graham Stack.
Star forward Michael Chopra, who has come back to the team after a year’s absence, tweeted: “Amazing scenes at the airport 2day. This shows @keralablasters have the best fans in @indiansuperleague #yellowmeinkhelo #chopra #isl3 #india.”
It is now over to the fans, and the players, to have a blast over the course of seven matches featuring the Kerala Blasters.