Kerala Blasters likely to play a couple of ISL matches in Kozhikode
However, the Indian Super League club has no plans to shift home base from Kochi to Kozhikode, where I-League's Gokulam Kerala has already established its presence.
Published : Jun 04, 2020 19:23 IST
They have been mulling it for the last couple of years and with representatives of Kerala Blasters FC meeting Kozhikode Municipal Corporation officials on Wednesday, there is a good chance that a few of the Kochi team's Indian Super League matches in the coming season or next could be played in the State's northern district.
But there is also a worry, in some quarters, whether this is the start of a KBFC move to slowly shift its home base from Kochi to Kozhikode.
“They are not shifting altogether, they just want to play some matches in Kozhikode's Corporation Stadium. Anyway, there is another meeting on June 10,” said P. Haridas, the Secretary of the Kozhikode District Football Association, on Thursday.
“In Wednesday's discussion, they had asked for chairs in the stadium, a VIP section to be set up, to upgrade the floodlights and to relay the turf in the stadium which is currently a bit hard.”
The thin turnout for the Blasters home games in Kochi in the second half of the season the two previous years could be the reason for the management's plan to move a few games to Kozhikode.
Incidentally, the Corporation Stadium is also home to I-League club Gokulam Kerala FC and while the club is okay with Blasters playing one or two matches in Kozhikode, it has clearly indicated that it would not be happy if the Kochi club plans to make the stadium its home ground.
“We heard last season that they were interested in playing one or two matches here. We even welcomed that. But if they are choosing this as their home ground, I think it is not professional or ethical because we, a similar club, have developed the stadium and established it as our home ground,” said V.C. Praveen, the president of Gokulam Kerala FC.
Calls and messages to Blasters owner Nikhil Bhardwaj went unanswered but later in the evening a KBFC source said the club has no plans to shift its home from Kochi to Kozhikode.