Indian football head coach Khalid Jamil and several players faced an unusual situation on Thursday when they could not enter the stadium for their scheduled press conference ahead of the Asian Cup qualifier against Hong Kong.

 

According to reports, the incident took place at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, where India are set to play their upcoming home fixture. Officials stopped the team from entering the venue, which forced the pre-match press conference to be called off.

 

Reports added that the issue arose because the Kerala Football Association did not pay a mandatory security deposit to the local authorities that manage the stadium. Indian media reported the development, quoting an official from the All India Football Federation (AIFF).

 

Despite the disruption, the AIFF expressed confidence that the situation would be resolved in time for the match.

 

“We have full faith that the formalities will be completed by the Kerala Football Association with the local authorities,” the federation said in a statement on X.

 

The incident has added to recent criticism surrounding the AIFF. Earlier this month, the Indian women’s team faced issues during the AFC Women's Asian Cup when they received undersized kits, forcing staff to arrange replacements locally.

 

On the field, India’s men’s team has struggled in the AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers. The team sits at the bottom of its group and has already been eliminated from contention.