Business magnate Mukesh Ambani has shown ‘personal’ interest in redeveloping the Cooperage football ground, All India Football Federation president Praful Patel said on Thursday.
Business magnate Mukesh Ambani has shown ‘personal’ interest in redeveloping the Cooperage football ground, All India Football Federation president Praful Patel said on Thursday. Cooperage has been embroiled in a public interest litigation and was heavily criticised by the Asian Football Confederation for its pathetic condition.
The AIFF has also roped in managing director and vice-president of JSW Steel Sajjan Jindal as the chairman of the I-League. JSW will also fund the reconstruction of the stadiums in Bangalore and Kolkata. “The PIL is nearing its end and Mr Ambani has personally shown interest in developing infrastructure at the Cooperage,” Patel said.
Meanwhile, in other important decisions taken at the AGM in New Delhi on Thursday, the AIFF has withheld Bob Houghton’s request to send a back-up of at least eight players for the team’s ongoing Asian Cup preparatory camp.
Houghton has been asked to re-examine the fitness of the injured players after two weeks, depending on which the reinforcement will be sent. “He has said the unfit players will take at least two weeks to recover. India’s first match of the Asian Cup is on January 10 (vs Australia), so if the players do get well, they will have enough time to get match-fit. If the players do not recover after two weeks, then the AIFF will send additional players,” an AIFF official said.
Eleven members of Houghton’s intended squad — including skipper Baichung Bhutia, ace striker Sunil Chetri and midfielder Steven Dias — are nursing injuries. The Indian team, which is currently in Doha to face Qatar in a friendly on December 19, has been training in Dubai for the past one month. The AIFF has submitted a list of 40 players — which includes the standby players — with the AFC for the Asian Cup.
However, if the reinforcement were to be sent, then the I-League may have to be postponed until the end of the Asian Cup, i.e. last week of January. “In case we send around 8-10 players, the I-League might be postponed. It will be difficult to go ahead with the League with 40 national players away. Even the clubs have raised concerns about it. But if we release just two or three players, then the League will go on as scheduled,” the official said.
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