MUMBAI: Cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar has added his voice to the mounting opposition over the Kerala Cricket Association’s plans to host the India-West Indies one-day international on November 1 at the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium in Kochi, which is also home to the Indian Super League club Kerala Blasters FC, rather than in Thiruvananthapuram.
Tendulkar on Tuesday said hosting the match could damage the FIFA approved world class football turf, which along with other upgrades to the stadium ahead of the 2017 FIFA Under-17 World Cup had come at a cost of Rs 250 million. If the KCA decides to go ahead with its ill-conceived plan to host the ODI there, the turf will have to be dug up to lay the cricket pitch.
“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 co-exist,” Sachin tweeted.
Tendulkar said he has taken up the matter with the BCCI.
“Urged Shri. Vinod Rai who has promised to look into the matter. Hoping that neither the cricket nor the football fans are disappointed. @BCCI @KCAcricket,” he tweeted.
Kerala Football Association and football lovers have also red flagged the move to host a cricket match on November 1 in the as it stadium would not only damage the world class football turf, but also affect the ISL season that normally begins in October every year and lasts for around four months.
The KCA made the move to host the ODI in Kochi stadium after the BCCI decision to award it the right to host the ODI.
Earlier in the day, former Union minister Shashi Tharoor said the association’s move was ‘suspect’.
The Thiruvananthapuram MP said he has already spoken to Rai against the KCA’s “bizarre” decision to transfer a ODI match from Thiruvananthapuram to Kochi.
“He has promised to review the matter. KCA’s motive is highly suspect”, Tharoor tweeted.
“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 tweeted.
Kerala Blasters team member Iain Hume expressed his dismay over the move saying it was upsetting.
“I understand there is lot of cricket in India. But I also understand that there is lot of football in Kerala”.
Another key Blasters player CK Vineeth said the Jawaharlal Stadium in Kochi is one of six in India that are approved by FIFA, a certification that will take immense effort to obtain again.
“When India has been known for being a ‘cricket crazy’ nation, is it really necessary to dig up a football pitch to play a cricket match? #SaveKochiTurf,” he tweeted.
Veteran footballers I M Vijayan and C V Pappachan have also come out against the move.
Team India captain Sunil Chhetri also expressed his displeasure in a tweet. “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.#SaveKochiTurf”
“Give the match to Trivandrum or get drop-in pitches, if viable. Stop vandalism,” tweeted writer N S Madhavan.
Veteran footballers I M Vijayan and C V Pappachan have also come out against the move.
