Football: Champions Cup Meet Venue Changed From Chennai To Mumbai  

Kolkata: The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has been forced to shift the Champions Cup international football tournament from Chennai to Mumbai due to the "exorbitant" rates charged by the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) for using the pitch, general secretary Kushal Das said.

"We were trying to bring international football to Chennai after I guess 22 years. But if this is the attitude we really cannot help," Das said.

He added that work at the stadium was stalled for the last three days and the AIFF got a letter on Wednesday where the rates shocked them. SDAT was charging Rs.2 lakh per match, Rs.75,000 for practice session per day and another Rs. 75,000 (if the teams train at the Nehru 'B' ground) of the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.

Kushal Das

We were trying to bring international football to Chennai after I guess 22 years. But if this is the attitude we really cannot help

Asked if it would be a financial drain for the AIFF which already runs on a shoestring budget, Das said, "It will definitely be a financial drain. We have to re-arrange a lot of things. The tournament dates won't be affected but tickets need to be rescheduled." India are slated to play a three-nation tournament with Mauritius and St. Kitts and Nevis from August 17-27. The tournament will feature three matches, with each team taking on the other teams once.

IANS