Vozinha could be coming to Kochi. If the tides turn in the city’s favour, that is.
The Cabo Verde goalkeeper, one of the breakout stars of this year’s World Cup, may play a friendly with his team against India’s Blue Tigers.
According to national reports, Kochi is among the venues being considered for the match, along with Kolkata. Well, if the match does happen, it could perhaps offer some consolation for fans left frustrated after the Messi fiasco.
There is more. On September 20, Brazil’s 2002 World Cup-winning stars, including Ronaldinho, Rivaldo and Cafu, are expected to face Indian legends such as I M Vijayan and Jo Paul Anchery in a privately hosted exhibition match.
After months of relative quiet following the conclusion of the Indian Super League season, the Kaloor stadium is suddenly back in the spotlight. So is a question: Is the venue ready to host big-ticket football?
The Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium in Kochi, commissioned in 1996, is the biggest stadium in the state and has hosted massive crowds as well as some of Kerala’s most prominent and historic cricket and football matches.
Exclusively reserved for football since 2017, the stadium, which can currently accommodate around 50,000 spectators, is managed by the GCDA — which, by the way, still remains ‘headless’ ever since K Chandran Pillai stepped down as chairperson following the LDF’s rout in the assembly election.
Hence, GCDA officials decline to comment on the stadium’s maintenance.
The home of Kerala Blasters, the state’s only ISL team, since the club’s inception, the stadium has also been at the centre of several controversies over the years.
With the club in a hiatus since the end of the last ISL season, concerns over pitch maintenance and other aspects have risen.
The stadium’s structural stability and facilities came into focus recently when it was chosen as the venue for the former government’s ambitious project to bring Lionel Messi & Co. to Kerala for a friendly match.
Though the project collapsed in its final phase and investigations are ongoing, the stadium did undergo renovations last year.
The renovation project, carried out by private agencies, lagged well behind schedule and included an extensive upgrade of the pitch, seats, toilets and other facilities.
However, the project was later said to have been cancelled because the upgraded facilities did not meet ‘FIFA standards’.
Shaji Kurian, secretary of the Kerala Football Association, insists that the stadium “is in good shape to host important sporting events”.
“More such events should come to the state,” he adds. “We conducted an international friendly between India and Hong Kong at the stadium in March.”
“It is true that last year the Argentine Football Association had pointed out certain factors in the stadium that needed to be changed. But overall, the facility is fit to host big-ticket sporting events for sure.”
Sports Minister O J Janeesh, meanwhile, tells TNIE that “more clarity is needed regarding the renovations and reports on the stadium’s fitness”.
“The stadium falls under the ownership of the GCDA, and the renovations were carried out by them through a third-party agreement with a private agency. We could not find any documents regarding that so far,” he says.
“We are also not sure whether proper inspections were conducted after the renovations. There are allegations that the renovations are incomplete. We will be assessing these concerns soon.”
On the probability of the Cabo Verde match, Janeesh says the state has “not received any official communication regarding the proposal”.
“However, discussions were under way with the All-India Football Federation to conduct more footballing events in the state, including training camps and matches involving the national team,” the minister says.
