The ban on sale of Coke and Pepsi by several state governments, including Gujarat, in government-aided schools and colleges, has created some apprehensions in cricket circles in India ahead of the October 7-November 5 ICC Champions Trophy.
The ban has been announced following findings of presence of pesticides in soft drinks by Delhi-based Centre for Environmental Sciences.
"It's a bit worrying for ICC as Ahmedabad is one of the venues for the tournament," sources in the Board of Control for Cricket in India said on Wednesday.
The reason behind the apprehension is that Pepsi is one of the official sponsors of the International Cricket Council and has the right to sell their beverage as well as display in-stadia ads during the Champions Trophy.
No rival soft drink brand or brands are allowed to be sold or advertised inside the stadium hosting Champions Trophy ties.
Ahmedabad's Sardar Patel Stadium, being revamped for the ten-team "Mini World Cup", is slated to organise five matches in the tournament -- including two games in the preliminary qualifying stage.
The matches slated to be held at Ahmedabad are: West Indies v Zimbabwe (October 8, qualifier); Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe (Oct 10, qualifier); South Africa v qualfier 1 (Oct 24); India v qualifier 2 (Oct 26) and England v qualifier 2 (Oct 28).
