Fans unhappy, teams in two minds over Super Cup management

The return of the Hero Super Cup, after a sabbatical of four years, was welcomed with delight and a sense of excitement. Moreover, the people of Kerala were pleased that the event would be held in their football-loving state. Yet, few days into the competition, complaints around the logistics have taken to the front seat, while the football, to the back.

According to a recent Times of India report, at least three teams have approached the All India Football Federation (AIFF) with complaints, with two sides writing officially to India's apex footballing body.

Karolis Skinkys, the sporting director of Kerala Blasters, was the first to express doubt ahead of the tournament's commencement. "We are concerned about the condition of the Super Cup grounds. The Kozhikode one is in bad condition. How do we motivate the players to play on this kind of ground in these conditions?

"Goa has better practice pitches enough for all the teams, it should have been held in Goa," he had told 24 News.

His remarks received harsh criticism and were not received well. A few weeks after the start of the competitions, multiple club officials had similar remarks.

East Bengal head coach Stephen Constantine did not hide his displeasure with the situation, with East Bengal being the most affected. "I am well aware of Kerala's passion for football, therefore this is unfortunate. The practise field lacks appropriate lighting, lines are not delineated, and there is no ambulance outside the practise field.

"Who will be accountable if one of my players is hurt? I had to travel two hours to the press conference, which lasted about five minutes. There was no water available for us," the Englishman told Manorama Online.

The home team Kerala Blasters, on the other hand, opted to travel almost 180 kilometres back and forth every three days in order to practice on their quality training facility in Kochi. They headed to Kochi on the morning of 9th April, after playing their first game on the 8th against RoundGlass Punjab FC.

The miserable state of Kottapady Stadium was described in detail by an unnamed Indian Super League club official. "We were forced to walk roughly 8 to 10 minutes through a market lugging all the heavy equipment because there was no proper entry. Despite their assurances, the ice packs didn't come until 45 minutes after the training had begun. There was only one shower available for the 28 players, and the changing room was completely unclean. The condition is depressing to see.:

Odisha FC's senior team manager expressed their displeasure on Twitter.

Nonetheless, one ISL club official believes that the federation is trying their best and that they require financial assistance. "It's really remarkable how they prepped the football stadium. The grounds have been terribly neglected in the past, but now they are secure enough to be used for games, and they are dedicated to improving them.

"Although the organization has its limitations and we cannot expect 5-star facilities, the calibre of pitches has significantly increased over the past few years. Let's use every bad comment to advance the growth of football as a whole rather than just criticising the federation. I firmly believe that in order for football to create a decent infrastructure, we must have significant financial support".

I-league 2022-23 runners up Sreenidi Deccan FC on the other hand don't have any qualms with the facilities provided, that it's been good for them so far in the tournament.

The Bridge reached out to the AIFF but couldn't get a comment from the federation. On the other hand, an official from the Kerala Football Association refused to comment on the matter until provided with an official copy of a team's complaint.

Fans' verdict

Kerala is a state where people love football and its an ubiquitous part of their lifestyle. When AIFF chose Kerala as the hosts, the main aim must have been to attract huge crowds. However, the attendance so far has been disappointing.

Kerala Blasters, who effortlessly get a jam-packed stadium in Kochi, pulled only 12,000 spectators at the EMS Stadium which has a 50,000 capacity, and that has been the highest so far.

There are two games each day, one at 5:00pm and the other at 8:30 pm. The tickets cost Rs. 250, compared to Rs. 50 for I-league games. One of the criticisms is the high ticket price, but the argument is that for 250 rupees, spectators can see two games. But does it actually help?

Malappuram and Kozhikode are places that have a good number of practising Muslims. With the month of Ramadan going on, the people fasting have to break it at 6:30 pm. "I took the ticket hoping that I could watch both the games. They had no proper food or water for us to break the fast so we did not enter for the first game. They also do not allow people to re-enter the stadium," Asif told The Bridge.

However, after a week of the competition, the organisers have allowed fans and spectators to leave the stadium and re-enter.

"The foul smell from the toilets are unbearable, even if we are seated on the stands. It is unbearable. But at least washroom facility is available," Asif added.

It is incredibly physically demanding to sit for five hours in a stadium, especially without bucket chairs. This is particularly impossible for parents with young children and women due to the lack of hygienic bathrooms and drinking water.

Abhay who traveled all the way from Kochi with his wife talks about the struggle." One must remain seated inside the stadium for more than five hours without access to free water. In stadiums, free water is typically available, but here, only bottles of mineral water costing Rs 20 are offered.

"With toddlers and ladies it is tougher because there is no good arrangement here to make fans comfortable," Abhay concluded.

These comments from the teams and the fans should be taken as constructive criticism by the federation as well as the local authorities in order to make sure better facilities are provided in future tournaments.