India's coach, players denied entry at home stadium over payment delay

Coach and players blocked ahead of Hong Kong qualifier as deposit issue halts access

Indian football team coach Khalid Jamil and some players were denied entry on Thursday into the stadium hosting their home game against Hong Kong, forcing their press conference ahead of the Asian Cup qualifier to be called off, media reports said.

The press conference was cancelled because the Kerala state football association (KFA) had not paid a mandatory security deposit to the city authorities who own Kochi's Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, news agency PTI said, citing an All India Football Federation (AIFF) official.

The AIFF said in a statement that Tuesday's match should go ahead as planned.

"We have full faith that the formalities will be completed by the Kerala Football Association with the local authorities," it posted on X.

The AIFF faced criticism after the Indian women's team were sent undersized kits at the Women's Asian Cup earlier this month, sending staff scrambling to get jerseys made locally.

The Indian men's team, bottom of their group at the Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers, have already been eliminated.

The KFA, stadium owners Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) and the AIFF did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment made outside regular working hours.