Indian players, head coach denied entry at JLN due to dispute over security deposit

new delhi: Players and the head coach of the Indian men’s senior team were on Thursday denied entry at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi for a press conference over non-payment of a mandatory security deposit to the stadium owners by the Kerala Football Association.

The Indian players, including three from the state, and head coach Khalid Jamil arrived at the stadium for a pre-match press conference ahead the senior national team’s final AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers fixture against Hong Kong on March 31.

However, they were denied entry due to a dispute over the unpaid amount between the The Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA), which owns the stadium, and the Kerala Football Association.

“The issue is that the Kerela FA (football association) was supposed to pay a certain amount to the stadium authorities to block the stadium for four days for the match. That’s why the authorities blocked entry,” a source in the All India Football Federation

(AIFF) said.