Kolkata: Football just cannot be kept away from the city of joy. The Yuba Bharati Krirangan stadium which was supposed to host the final and the third-fourth place play-off match on October 28 now has another high potential clash-a marquee semi-final between England and Brazil. The match which was originally scheduled to be held at the Indira Gandhi Athletic stadium in Guwahati was shifted to Kolkata due to poor pitch conditions after incessant rains made it almost unfit to host the match.
“Following a thorough assessment of the pitch conditions at Guwahati’s Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, which has been affected by severe rainfall over the past few days, FIFA has decided to move the venue of the semi-final between Brazil and England, due to be played on 25 October 2017, to Kolkata’s Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan Stadium, where the match will kick off at 17:00 local time,” said an official statement from FIFA.
The pitch of the Indira Gandhi stadium was completely ruined during the quarter-final match between Ghana and Mali who had played despite the heavy downpour. Ghana eventually lost after failing to adjust to the conditions. The Black Starlets’ coach Samuel Fabin later lodged a complaint accusing the authorities of forcing them to play while also calling criticising the conditions of the stadium. FIFA therefore had to take this decision, “Following consultations with both teams in order to safeguard the players’ health and to ensure the best playing conditions.”
The Assam authorities led by the chief-minter Sarbananda Sonowal made a herculean effort to keep the semi-finals in Guwahati, but could not. A helicopter was also used by the government for 45 minutes to dry the pitch but to no avail. The Yuba Bharati Krirangan that roared in delight in awe of the Samba boys, will once again have a chance of watching it’s loved stars play.