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

The press conference was cancelled because the Kerala state soccer 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.