Slushy conditions prevailing at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in Kochi, following rains over the last two days, forced the organisers to postpone Monday's matches and reschedule the quarter-final league in the Air India Express National Football Championship for the Santosh Trophy.
Addressing a press conference in Kochi on Monday, tournament Commissioner B N G Neogi said the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu and Assam-Goa matches, scheduled for today, were postponed due to unplayable ground conditions.
He said a meeting of team managers, convened on Monday morning, also decided to play the Assam-Goa and Uttar Pradesh-Delhi matches at the FACT grounds, at nearby Udyogamandal on Tuesday.
The Maharashtra-West Bengal and Karnataka-Tamil Nadu matches would be played on Tuesday evening at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium.
Neogi said the ground condition at FACT was very good and the team managers okayed it.
The rescheduling of the fixture was made with the consent of All India Football Federation secretary Alberto Colaco, he said, adding it was also communicated to AIFF president Priyaranjan Dasmunshi.
Heavy rains that lashed Kochi in the last two days forced the postponement of matches.
The re-scheduled fixtures (quarter-final league:
Group I: Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi
Group II: Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka
Group III: Services, Maharashtra, West Bengal
Group IV: Manipur, Assam, Goa.
15/11: Assam vs Goa (FACT grounds)
15/11: Uttar Pradesh vs Delhi (FACT grounds)
15/11: Maharashtra vs West Bengal (J N stadium)
15/11: Karnataka vs Tamil Nadu (J N stadium)
16/11: Kerala vs Delhi (J N stadium)
16/11: Services vs West Bengal (J N stadium)
17/11: Punjab vs Tamil Nadu (J N stadium)
17/11: Manipur vs Goa (J N stadium)
18/11: First semi-final
19/11: Second semi-final
20/11: Third place play-off
21/11: FINAL.
