Kerala Blasters confirm their first ISL home match is back on, but a technical problem needs fixing
On Saturday night, the Kerala Blasters ended a day-long uncertainty over the fixture with Mumbai City.
On Saturday night, the Kerala Blasters ended a day-long uncertainty over the fixture with Mumbai City.
On Saturday night, the Kerala Blasters ended a day-long uncertainty over the fixture with Mumbai City.
Kerala Blasters confirmed late on Saturday that their first home match of the Indian Super League (ISL) season against Mumbai City FC will take place as scheduled at the Jawaharlal Nehru International (JNI) Stadium at Kaloor in Kochi on Sunday.
The match set to kick off at 7.30 pm was in doubt after the Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA), which owns JNI, evicted the Blasters and officials of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) on the eve of the match. The GCDA was demanding that the Blasters pay a rent of ₹4.2 lakh in addition to a 'liability amount' of ₹22.85 lakh on Saturday.
After hours of uncertainty, the Blasters put out a statement thanking Kerala's Minister for Industries P Rajeeve, GCDA Chairman K Chandran Pillai and MLA P V Srinijin for 'facilitating a resolution'. Though the Blasters have not elaborated on the details of the 'resolution', sources in the GCDA said the club has agreed to pay the 'figure' next week.
Earlier in the day, the GCDA security personnel removed media persons who arrived at the JNI for a pre-match press conference with Blasters' Head Coach David Catala and midfielder Rowllin Borges. The presser was later held online.
Meanwhile, a technical problem that needs fixing tonight is with regards to the floodlights at the venue. The stadium underwent a renovation recently, as part of which the floodlights were changed. However, it was fixed only recently and the focussing had not been done as of Saturday afternoon, putting Sunday’s 7.30 pm fixture in doubt nevertheless.
Focusing of the floodlights is an important aspect of night matches involving telecast as all areas of the playing surface need to be uniformly illuminated with high-intensity. It is understood that the process would be completed tonight.
The Blasters have played their home matches at the JNI since the club was formed in 2014. The Blasters began their season with a 0-2 defeat to Mohun Bagan Super Giant in Kolkata on February 14. They have eight more home matches after the Mumbai City game, and it remains to be seen if the club will continue at the venue.