Kottayam: In view of the FIFA U-17 World Cup to be held in Kochi on October 13, the the Opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) has finally decided to reschedule the hartal to October 16.
Though Kerala is notorious for hartals, the decision to postpone it comes as a relief to fans as well as the organizers of the event.
Kochi is slated to host two group matches at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on October 13. Germany meet Guinea in the day's first game, which kicks off at 5 pm, while Spain take on North Korea in the second match at 8 pm.
Plenty of fans are expected to witness the first match featuring European heavyweights Germany and the hartal would have been a big dampener as far as the supporters and organizers are expected.
The opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala had earlier said that the hartal will end in Ernakulam district by 3 pm. It would have been difficult for the soccer fans to reach the venue if the hartal was to happen on October 13.
Both Germany and Guinea play their first two games at the Fatorda Stadium in Goa and then travel to Kochi to round off their Group C campaign.