The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi is home to Kerala Blasters, the club with the biggest fan base in the Indian Super League. Every time a match comes around here, men, women and children, almost all in their yellow colours, jostle their way to the oval. Inside, the stadium is packed, almost to the brim.
While the ambience is amazing, the Kochi stadium is a recipe the disaster, feels the Asian Football Confederation general secretary Datuk Seri Windsor John who had a close look at the ground during the recent ISL opener here. The Kerala Football Association had hoped to host a FIFA World Cup qualifier in Kochi later this year, but now that has been pushed away.
“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 Windsor John, in a chat with The Hindu on the sidelines of the KFA’s Kerala Youth Development Project’s launch on Saturday evening.
