Aizwal FC coach Jahar Das has some strong criticism for the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, Guwahati. Speaking ahead of the Federation Cup 2016 finals, the coach has accused that the ground is not up to the mark and he expected better preparedness from the organizers.
“I am sorry to say that the ground is not up to the mark. Before the arrival of the players, I was walking around the ground and twice my ankle went nearly 6 inches deep into the ground. Probably there was some shot-put or discuss throw that happened in the ground. This should not have been done here and the ground should have been well maintained,” Das said.
Also Read: Watch Mohun Bagan vs Aizawl live: Federation Cup 2016 Final live streaming & TV information
It should be mentioned here that the ground successfully hosted the 12th South Asian Games 2016 few months back and the venue was used for various track and field events. But it’s been three months since then and it is a little surprising that rough patches still exist.
“We have been practicing and training in our area, which is Astroturf. Seeing the entire infrastructure and since the National Games was held here in the year 2007, I expected a better ground,” the coach further added.
Also, noteworthy is the fact that the finals were originally scheduled to be held in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir but was later shifted to Guwahati due to infrastructural reasons.
The stadium is also the home ground for Mohun Bagan in the going AFC Cup tournament and will host Singapore Club Tampines Rovers FC on the 24th of May 2016. The ground will also host the India versus Laos AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers match in June.
Mohun Bagan coach Sanjoy Sen, however, had no issues with the ground and seemed largely satisfied.
Football isn’t new at the Indira Gandhi Stadium as it is also the home ground for ISL franchise NorthEast United. The ground is also amongst the shortlisted ones for the 2017 U17 FIFA World Cup. Thus, such acquisitions have come in as a huge setback for the management. Jahar Das, the former Mohun Bagan player further elaborated:
“I have myself measure the location of the potholes and players can sustain injuries because of them. In fact one of the holes is near the penalty box and this can result in unwanted direction of the ball when hit,”
The ground is maintained under the Sports Authority of Assam, which was formed after the 2007 National Games, in order to maintain the newly constructed sporting facilities in the state.
