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.
“We have no idea as to what basis the AFC office-bearer had raised the concerns on. Structural repairs are being held regularly and whenever issues are noticed. Except during the pandemic, works were carried without fail,” said sources.
P. Anilkumar, general secretary of the Kerala Football Association (KFA), said the AFC had probably raised the matter with the KBFC since the Kaloor stadium is their home ground. The KFA, he said, has no role in matters related to maintenance since the GCDA is the custodian of the stadium and carries out such works directly after the Kerala Cricket Association gave up that role.
On their part, the KBFC sources said that even before the latest comment by its general secretary, the AFC had raised some concerns with them to which the club had responded. They said they have raised some concerns with the GCDA as well but declined to divulge the details.
“When I saw the match the other day, there were so many families there... children and women... which is very good for football but is a recipe for disaster,” said Mr. Windsor John in a chat with The Hindu on the sidelines of the KFA’s Kerala Youth Development Project’s launch in September.
“These things have happened before, in Indonesia one year ago, so we cannot let our guard down and repeat the problem... then disaster for everyone. That I think is the biggest concern for the AIFF (All India football Federation) and I have conveyed my concerns as well,” he had said.
The AFC official felt the location of the stadium in the heart of Kochi city was an issue. He had also expressed reservations about the lack of infrastructure, including security infrastructure, segregation of fans, officials and players and so on.
“Of course, the stadium itself is a little old, needs refurbishment... dressing rooms, VIP area and all those things because when we play internationals, top teams would expect a level of facilities,” he had said while calling for a football-only stadium.
