New Delhi, Dec 1 (IANS) The Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, which was locked down since the 2010 Commonwealth Games, is ready for the SAFF Cup, thanks to some speedy work by London firm ISTec that relaid the turf for the football tournament starting Friday.
When the All India Football Federation (AIFF) got the stadium in late September, the turf was in miserable condition.
‘The consultants from ISTec worked hard for two and a half months to make the ground fit for play. The stadium was handed over to the AIFF in September and the turf didn’t look like a ground. We had tall grasses and had to start from scratch to lay the ground again,’ AIFF’s director for competitions Anil Kamath told IANS here Thursday.
ISTec were also involved in laying Rugby7 pitches during last year’s Commonwealth Games and are also associated with Maharashtra Cricket Association’s (MCA) stadium in Pune. The football ground at the Balewadi Sports Complex in Pune was also refurbished by ISTec.
The AIFF signed an MOU with the sports ministry in October to develop the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium into a football hub. The stadium, which was re-built at a cost of Rs.960 crore for the Commonwealth Games, will also host the much-awaited friendly clash between India and German giants Bayern Munich in January.
