Chaos at Kochi as GCDA shuts stadium ahead of KFA Press Meet for India vs Hong Kong

Khalid Jamil and the players were denied entry to the stadium.

Kerala is all set to welcome the Indian National Football Team back after a gap of ten long years. As the football frenzy is slowly taking over the streets of God’s Own Country, owing to some last-minute internal disputes, there has been a lot of drama unfolding ahead of the AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers match between India and Hong Kong on the 31st of March, 2026.

The Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) has closed the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kochi, on the 26th of March 2026, ahead of the press meet of the India vs Hong Kong match organised by the Kerala Football Association (KFA).

Three Kerala-born players from the squad, Ashique Kuruniyan, Sahal Abdul Samad & Bijoy Varghese, alongside Indian team head coach Khalid Jamil, were assigned to attend the press conference.

The players, including head coach Khalid Jamil, arrived at the stadium for the meeting but reportedly headed back after the chaos unfolded and were denied entry inside the stadium.

“The stadium was rented out for a sum of three lakh rupees and included a security deposit of twenty five lakh rupees. The AIFF, has to pay the amount through the KFA, who are the organisers of the match. However, there have been some issues in the payment of the security deposit which led to GCDA not opening the stadium doors for the press meet,” a source close to the development told Khel Now.

Notably, a similar situation had earlier disrupted Kerala Blasters’ first ISL 2025-26 press conference on February 21st.

Financial disputes yet again!

Concerns are growing over the venue rental for the Hong Kong-Kochi football match. The GCDA, which owns the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium in Kaloor, where the match will be held, is demanding Rs 3 lakh plus taxes as rent. In addition to this, the GCDA has also demanded Rs 25 lakh as a security deposit from the organisers.

The organisers are concerned that while stadiums are provided free of charge in most parts of the country for national team matches, the GCDA, the owners of the stadium in Kochi, is charging a hefty amount as rent – a local newspaper reported.

A similar incident happened on the 21st of February 2026, when the GCDA locked the press conference room ahead of the pre-match press conference for the Indian Super League match between Kerala Blasters FC and Mumbai City FC.

As the GCDA continues its money first, football second policy, the hurdles have increased for the Indian National Football Team to play an international match at Kochi, even after a decade long of not playing at the venue.

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