BENGALURU: Indian Super League (ISL) heavyweights Bengaluru FC may have had the last laugh against NorthEast United in their recent semifinal, but it could well have been their last hurrah too at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bangalore Mirror reports.
The ground, which has witnessed the transition of the JSW Sports-owned football club from I-League champions to battling the big boys in the ISL over the last six years, might be out of bounds for Sunil Chhetri and co. come 15 March.
It is believed that the Karnataka Athletics Association (KAA) has approached the state’s Department of Youth Empowerment and Sports (DYES) to grant it the complete ownership of the ground. DYES commissioner K Srinivas claims that the proposal has been sent for consideration to the Sports Ministry and its reply will enable the department to take a decision.
The KAA CEO Elvis Joseph stated the athletics body’s grievances against Bengaluru FC, claiming that the club has violated their original agreement of using the ground occasionally by refusing to permit athletes to practice through ways such as cordoning off the pitch and barricading certain areas. In the process, Joseph claims that the running track has been destroyed completely.
JSW Sports CEO Mustafa Ghouse refutes the allegations by opining that the Kanteerava is a multi-purpose ground and that the company has invested in upgrading facilities and infrastructure to make it world-class since 2013. It has reportedly offered to revamp the running track as well.
Ghouse pointed out that Bengaluru FC isn’t the first team to make use of the ground for training and playing matches, as the Indian national team and teams in the FIFA Under-17 World Cup 2017 utilised it as well.
Should the development happen, it is the last thing that the club and its fans would want. The alternate venue, the Bangalore Football Stadium is said to be way smaller and lacking in proper facilities to make the experience of watching football worthwhile.
If Bengaluru FC wins the ISL and qualifies for the AFC Cup inter-zonal matches which are traditionally held in April or May, JSW Sports could potentially be scrambling to find a new home venue which is a less than ideal scenario.
