The Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) has dismissed the safety concerns raised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) about the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium at Kaloor in Kochi, Kerala, as baseless.
AFC general secretary Datuk Seri Windsor John had dubbed the stadium “a recipe for disaster” in a chat with The Hindu after having a close look at the stadium during the Indian Super League (ISL) opener opener in September 2023. The stadium is the home ground of the ISL team Kerala Blasters FC (KBFC).
GCDA sources said the AFC office-bearer had not taken up the matter officially with the GCDA which owns the stadium. “We have no information about this other than what has been published in the media. As per our assessment of the stadium done with the help of experts from IIT Madras, there are no structural problems other than some issues to the roof drainage system owing to ‘ageing’ and the resultant leakage. That issue is already being addressed and repair works are likely to be completed before the end of this ISL season,” said sources.
