Indian football has landed in yet another controversy, this time off the pitch, as chaos unfolded in Kochi ahead of the national team’s AFC Asian Cup qualifier against Hong Kong. Head coach Khalid Jamil and several players were stopped from entering the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium due to a payment dispute, disrupting official pre-match commitments.

The incident took place when the Indian team arrived for a scheduled press conference, their first appearance at the Kochi venue in nearly a decade. However, what should have been a routine media interaction quickly turned into confusion and embarrassment.

Security personnel from the Greater Cochin Development Authority (GCDA) prevented entry for Jamil and players Ashique Kuruniyan, Sahal Abdul Samad, and Bijoy Varghese. Even members of the media were denied access, bringing preparations to a halt.

Officials later pointed to unpaid dues as the reason behind the situation. Despite the disruption, Kerala Football Association (KFA) president Navas Meeran tried to calm tensions and insisted the issue was not serious.

“The Asian Cup qualifier will go ahead as scheduled. What happened was just a minor technical issue, and it will be resolved soon,” Meeran said.

Reports suggest that the GCDA demanded a security deposit ranging between ₹20–25 lakh, along with an additional ₹3 lakh as stadium rent, before allowing access. While GCDA officials stood firm on receiving full payment, the KFA reportedly asked for more time.

This is not the first such incident at the venue. Earlier in February, the ISL club Kerala Blasters faced a similar situation and were also denied entry due to a payment dispute.

The GCDA owns the stadium, but matches are organised through the KFA, a setup that once again exposed coordination issues between the two bodies.