Asian Cup game against Hong Kong on, India says, despite team being locked out of stadium
Hosts’ press conference cancelled as Kerala Football Association has not paid stadium owners, but dead-rubber match ‘will proceed as planned’
India’s 2027 Asian Cup qualifier at home against Hong Kong next week will go ahead, the national football body said, after players and coach Khalid Jamil were locked out of the stadium.
The hosts’ press conference on Thursday was cancelled because the Kerala Football Association had not paid a mandatory security deposit to the city authorities, who own Kochi’s Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, according to local media.
Several players and the coach were denied entry for the press event, the reports said.
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) said that, despite the embarrassment, the match on March 31 “will proceed as planned”.
“We have full faith that the formalities will be completed by the Kerala Football Association with the local authorities,” the AIFF said in a statement.
It added that “we are confident that all necessary procedures will be completed within the stipulated time frame”.