KOCHI: Lionel Messi may or may not play, but the infrastructure development at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium is progressing fast. The international friendly featuring Argentina, planned on November 17, was called off last month as the venue in Kochi failed to find a place in the list of FIFA-approved stadiums.
Since then, the credibility of the stadium development, which began at short notice and was fast-paced, has come under scrutiny, with allegations being raised of fraud and foul play by the event sponsors and organisers.
On Monday, Sports Minister V Abdurahiman asserted that the stadium renovation will be completed within the specified time. The sponsors, who have undertaken the work at a cost of Rs 70 crore, had earlier said that the renovation would be completed by November 30 and that they would try again to get FIFA approval.
“Two days ago, we received an official mail from the Argentina team expressing willingness to come in March (2026) and to make an announcement about it in the coming days. We expect to get FIFA approval for our stadium after the renovation. We will finish the stadium work, no matter what,” the minister told reporters.
Further, Abdurahiman said: “Work, like painting, is progressing. When there is a blackout, it takes an hour for the lights at the ground to come back on, fully lit. Such things have to be fixed by changing the entire cable system. In case of a fire, the fire alarms and extinguishers should work, so we have completed that work. Evacuation doors were also closed, and 28 such doors were opened.
Toilets have been renovated. For the field, almost Rs 65 lakh has already been spent. The Delhi-based company which did the work for Asia Cup is in charge of maintaining the field here as well. A total of 35,000 seats were changed, and security compound walls are coming up. The parking lot was bad, and it has now being tarred now. People are at work every minute.”
He added that agencies like PWD and its design wing, sports engineering department, and experts from IIT Palakkad have already inspected the safety measures at the stadium and have given their clearance.
