Minister claims CM mandated controversial stadium work

A high-stakes sporting venture in Kerala has spiralled into a tangle of approvals, accountability and infrastructure concerns as the planned visit by the Argentina national football team led by Lionel Messi to the Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium, Kochi has been delayed amid procedural and safety issues.

- HD Bureau

Sports Minister V Abdurahiman asserted that Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan authorised a private sponsor to take charge of stadium renovation for the fixture scheduled for 17 November, raising questions over transparency and governance. Curiously, there has been no official contract awarding the work to the sponsor. The minister, when questioned about the appointment of the sponsor—a private broadcasting company—to carry out major works at the stadium, stated that the chief minister had given his approval for the arrangement.

“The responsibility of the work was with the Sports Kerala Foundation, and not the Greater Cochin Development Authority,’ Abdurahiman explained, adding that “their duty is to arrange the basic necessities for sports alone.”