Punjab FC's Panagiotis Dilmperis highlights these two concerns ahead of Chennaiyin FC clash in ISL

Punjab FC will look to grab three points at home.

Panagiotis Dilmperis’s Punjab FC are set to firecrackers in the Indian Super League (ISL) when they take on a promising Chennaiyin FC at the Jawahar Lal Nehru stadium in Delhi on the Auspicious Diwali day. The game is not only set to provide a revering game to the neutrals but also be played amid off-the-field issues. 

Delhi is facing a severe air quality issue due to the ongoing winters as the medicos have warned people the quality of air is unbreathable. Moreover, the JLN stadium in the past weekend held the Diljit Dosanjh and the local athletes complained about the junk and the trash being spread throughout the premises.

Punjab FC hosted a pre-match press conference and the PFC head coach Panagiotis Dilmperis spoke about multiple topics from the turf condition of JLN to the odd scheduling mapped by the ISL giving them long and uncalled breaks excerpts here

Controversy regarding the JLN Pitch

Following circulating social media reports about potential damage to the stadium after the recent Diljit Dosanjh concert, Panagiotis, the club’s head coach, swiftly addressed these concerns, reassuring fans and stakeholders alike. Shrugging off the rumors, Panagiotis Dilmperis stated, “No, we usually don’t train before the games in the stadium. But I had the opportunity a couple of minutes ago to visit. And I see that the operations department works there.”

Panagiotis Dilmperis highlighted the proactive measures taken by the stadium’s operations team to ensure readiness for the upcoming game, emphasizing the absence of any visible issues on the field. “I didn’t see any damage,” he continued, directly countering the speculated harm caused by the concert event. Confident in the stadium’s condition, he concluded with reassurance: “I think everything will be fine tomorrow.”

Thoughts on Poor Scheduling of games

The league is into its matchweek 7 and most teams have completed at least five matches but for PunjabFC, they will be playing just their fifth match almost after two weeks. Earlier as well Punjab FC’s game against Bengaluru FC was played after a break of one game in between and the International break. 

“That’s a great question. Thank you so much. I will grab the opportunity to talk about it,” Panagiotis Dilmperis started by explaining himself and his club’s position.

Panagiotis Dilmperis said, ”So we started great, we had a good tempo, and then suddenly we had two day-offs game week offs between when we had the game. It doesn’t work well for one team, because when you try to find tempo rhythm, you are losing.”

Further explaining himself he quoted, “But, it’s also a huge challenge for coaches and players to prove that they are focused, they are committed, they have loyalty about the sport and the team. And I think, and I can easily see in my players’ eyes, that they are full of passion and confidence and these breaks will not make them eliminate the performance.”

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