The football stadoum in Bengaluru, which is set to host the FIFA U-17 World Cup matches came under severe criticism from chief coach of senior national football team Stephen Constantine, who made it clear that the facility is still not ready to host the mega event.
"It (Bengaluru Football Stadium) needs a lot of work. If the AIFF is trying hard to host the U-17 World Cup, suppose if the event would have happened now, I can tell you this stadium wouldn't have qualified (to host the event)," Constantine told reporters here.
Constantine is in the city with the Indian squad for a preparatory camp ahead of its 2018 FIFA World Cup preliminary qualification matches against Oman and Guam.
India play their first match at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium here on June 11 while the next match against Guam will be played in Guam on June 16.
The hosts are clubbed in Group D of the qualifiers along with Iran, Oman, Turkmenistan and Guam. Constantine's remarks comes in the wake of 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup Tournament Director Javier Ceppi, did not pay a visit to the city, even as he provisionally selected Kochi and Mumbai as venues.
Moreover, 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup Project Director Joy Bhattacharya's remarks - that Bengaluru can only be a venue if the football stadium here is ready - has only raised fears among the football community.
The work at the Bengaluru Stadium is yet to start because of the discord between JSW Group, the parent company of Bengaluru Football Club and Karnataka State Football Association (KSFA).
JSW Group is tasked with reconstructing the stadium. The stadium, to be fully rebuilt, is yet to be demolished or see any work in that direction.
