Kochi: Uncertainty over the venue for the India-West Indies One-Day International (ODI) to be held on November 1 continued on Wednesday. The Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA), which owns the Jawahrlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi, is looking at options to hold both football and cricket matches at the venue.
The opinion of the experts will be taken into consideration. The final decision will be made in consultation with the state government.
GCDA chairman C N Mohanan said that the stance cricket matches should be held in Thiruvananthapuram and only football games should be staged in Kochi was unacceptable.
The GCDA had called a meeting between representatives of the Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) and Indian Super League (ISL) franchise Kerala Blasters on Wednesday.
The KCA officials made it clear that there will be no harm done to the football turf at the venue if the ODI is held in Kochi. The Kerala Football Assocation (KFA) too is in favour of hosting the ODI in Kochi if the football turf at the Nehru stadium will be kept intact.
There has been a furore over the KCA's plan to stage the match in Kochi instead of the Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram.
The plan to stage the match in Kochi where an international standard football turf has been built up had met with strong protests. Cricket legend and Blasters co-owner Sachin Tendulkar had tweeted his support for the #SaveKochiTurf movement.
Tendulkar took to Twitter to express his support for football. "Worried about the potential damage to the FIFA approved World class Football turf in Kochi. Urge the KCA to take the right decision where cricket (Thiruvananthapuram) and Football (Kochi) can happily coexist," he tweeted.
In another tweet, Sachin urged BCCI Committee of Administrators chief Vinod Rai to look into the matter. “Urged Vinod Rai who has promised to look into the matter. Hoping that neither the cricket nor the football fans are disappointed,” Tendulkar tweeted.
His tweets followed a major social media campaign by football players and supporters in India who were worried about the potential damage to a pristine football venue.
“We football fans in India have small joys and reasons to be happy about. A proper football pitch is one of them. Let’s not snatch that away, even if it’s for a little while,” national football team captain Sunil Chhetri tweeted.
Shashi Tharoor, Thiruvananthapuram MP, has spoken to Rai against the KCA's "bizarre" decision to transfer the ODI from Thiruvananthapuram to Kochi. "He has promised to review the matter. (The) KCA's motive is highly suspect", Tharoor tweeted.
In another tweet, the local MP thanked everyone for the outpouring of support for his firm opposition to KCA shifting the ODI to Kochi. "Turf laid for top-class football would have to be dug up, while a cricket-ready SportsHub stadium in Trivandrum, the best in India, lies idle. Who gains from this suspect decision?', he had asked in the tweet.
Former Indian pacer S Sreesanth too opposed the KCA move. Sreesanth, who hails from Kochi, told Manorama News that it was better to hold the ODI in Thiruvananthapuram as ISL matches are regularly held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi. He added that the passion for football was growing in the state and a new cricket stadium should be built in Kochi to conduct matches.
Kerala Blasters' star players Iain Hume and C K Vineeth too have expressed their dismay over the move.
(With agency inputs)
