Indian football was jolted by an off-field controversy two days before the national team’s AFC Asian Cup qualifier against Hong Kong when head coach Khalid Jamil and three players, Ashique Kuruniyan, Sahal Abdul Samad, and Bijoy Varghese, were refused entry into the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium in Kochi.
Administrative Response
This problem interrupted their pre-match press conference and training session and brought up the issue of mismanagement in Indian football. After their arrival at the stadium for a match that would be their first in Kochi after almost 10 years, as their last game at the venue was in 2016, the team members were not even given the chance to discuss tactics or interact with the media. Jamil and the players were on the verge of boarding when they were stopped by security personnel of the Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA).
It has been reported that the authorities at the stadium wanted a security deposit of Rs 20-25 lakh and Rs 3 lakh as rent before they allowed the players to enter the stadium. The Kerala Football Association (KFA) appealed for more time in order to clear the arrears, but the GCDA stood firm on not giving any concessions.
Two to tango, but right now it’s all chaos…
AIFF and GCDA’s ongoing stadium rent issue is hurting the game more than anyone else.
But here GCDA looks like the front runner, more interested in rolling the money than rolling the ball.Welcome to Indian Football Arena. pic.twitter.com/fp2VNawR6F
— Sourav Paul (@Doppelg40906183) March 26, 2026
Meanwhile, KFA president Navas Meeran was trying to downplay the whole thing when he referred to it as a mere “minor technical problem” and also promised that the Asian Cup qualifier would not be affected and would be held on schedule. However, the whole situation had left Jamil, his players, and some journalists hanging around outside the stadium, waiting to do a media interaction, but unable to do so due to the lockout.
Recurring Problems at Kochi Stadium
There has been a series of problems similar to this arising from the administrative side of the venue. In fact, the Kerala Blasters were once in a similar situation when their entry was denied before an Indian Super League match just because there was a dispute over the deposits and rent.
Such incidents that have been repeated show that there is a lack of coordination and communication at the systemic level between the GCDA, which is the owner of the stadium and the KFA, which is the organiser of the matches. Players, coaches, and staff have been suffering the most with these non-compliant issues, and it is clear that it is high time to get the ball rolling for better communication and planning.
