India men’s football team head coach Khalid Jamil and several players were denied entry to the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi on Thursday, leading to the cancellation of a scheduled press conference ahead of their crucial AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers clash.

According to a report by PTI, Jamil and players of the squad had reached the venue on time for the media interaction before India’s match against Hong Kong on March 31. However, they were stopped at the entrance due to a dispute over the non-payment of a mandatory security deposit.

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The issue reportedly stems from pending dues between the Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA), which owns the stadium, and the Kerala Football Association. As a result, authorities blocked access to the venue, forcing organisers to call off the press event.

What happened at JLN Stadium?

“The issue is that the Kerala FA (football association) was supposed to pay a certain amount to the stadium authorities to block the stadium for four days for the match. That's why the authorities blocked entry,” a source in the All India Football Federation (AIFF) told PTI.

Despite the disruption, the upcoming match is expected to go ahead as planned. The AIFF source indicated that the required payment is likely to be cleared three days before the game.

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Jamil was accompanied by players including Ashique Kuruniyan, Sahal Abdul Samad, and Bijoy Varghese during the visit. As per Asian Football Confederation rules, a stadium must be booked for at least four days to host an AFC match.

Notably, this is not the first such incident at the Kochi venue. A similar disruption had earlier affected an event involving the ISL club Kerala Blasters.

India’s 23-member squad had begun preparations for the match with a training camp starting March 24.