ISL 2025-26: Kerala Blasters FC vs Mumbai City FC match doubtful

GCDA shut down the press room ahead of the pre-match press conference

The Indian Super League 2025-26 match between Kerala Blasters FC and Mumbai City FC to be held on the 22nd of February 2026, at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kochi, remains doubtful.

The stadium security officials have cited that there have been some changes in the current agreements between Kerala Blasters FC and GCDA, and they are yet to be finalized.

As a result of disagreements between the two parties, the press room was locked by the police ahead of the pre-match press conference on the 21st of February. A clarity on tomorrow’s match is yet to be reached.

The Kerala Police asked the media to move out of the press room and later locked the room ahead of the pre-match press conference.

Rental disagreements in the final minutes

In the joint press conference conducted by the GCDA and Kerala Blasters FC on the 11th of February, the GCDA Chairman, K. Chandran Pillai, stated that the stadium rent has been reduced from 8.4 lakhs to 2 lakhs, considering the financial constraints of the club.

However, just days ahead of the clash against Mumbai City FC, it was decided to increase the rent of the stadium from 2 lakhs to around 4.2 lakhs to recover the cost of stadium maintenance, which is estimated at around 28 lakhs.

Following this hike in the rent, the Blasters have expressed their dissatisfaction with playing the matches at Kaloor, stating the fact that an increase in the rent will add up to the existing financial burden on the club.

“The GCDA informed us to lock the room. There are some issues with the agreements between Blasters and GCDA. There is already an agreement, but there are some changes in it, and it has not been cleared yet. We are yet to receive any updates regarding tomorrow’s match,” the stadium security officials told Khel Now

“The media were arranging their cameras and other equipment. It was then that we got an announcement that there had been an order from the top management of the GCDA to call off the press conference, following the disputes regarding the rent and agreement,” a source close to the development informed Khel Now

Due to the following unforeseen circumstances, the press conference was conducted online instead of in person. With just hours remaining for the match, a quick compromise and consensus is mandatory for the match to be held smoothly at Kochi.

Match details

The match between Kerala Blasters FC and Mumbai City FC, scheduled for tomorrow (22 February) at 7:30 PM at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, is now under a cloud of uncertainty as worrying signs emerge ahead of the much-anticipated clash.

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