According to multiple Indian media reports, the municipal authorities of Kochi in Kerala banned India national team head coach Khalid Jamil and several players from entering the stadium that is set to host the 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifier against Hong Kong, China on Thursday. The move also forced the pre-match press conference to be cancelled.

According to the Press Trust of India (PTI), citing an official from the All India Football Federation (AIFF), the press conference was cancelled because the Kerala Football Association had not paid the mandatory security to the city authorities that own the stadium. The venue in question is the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi.

The AIFF later released a statement saying that Tuesday’s match should still go ahead as scheduled, adding on social media: “We are fully confident that the Kerala Football Association will complete the necessary formalities with the local authorities as soon as possible.”

It is also worth noting that earlier this month, the AIFF came under criticism after providing undersized match kits to the women’s national team, forcing staff to urgently produce new gear locally.

In addition, the Indian men’s national team has already finished bottom of their group in the third round of the qualifiers, missing out on qualification for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup to be held in Saudi Arabia.