World-class infrastructure claim falls flat as patchy field hosts football tourney

Even as two specialised fields are available free-of-cost with the UT Sports Department, the Education Department is conducting the U-19 inter-school football tournament on a rough and patchy surface at Government Model Senior Secondary School in Sector 23.

A large part of the ground — near the touch line opposite to the substitutes’ bench — is poorly maintained.

Recently, some trees were uprooted from the site, but the authorities concerned failed to level the surface to make the ground fit for a tourney.

The uneven ground is not only troubling players, but also posing a risk of them getting injured. The players faced problem in marking run-up before launching corner kicks due to the uneven surface.

The UT Administration has two specialised football grounds — Sector 42 Sports Complex and Sector 46 Sports Complex — which are provided free-of-cost for conducting state championships. While the local sports associations hold events at the Sport Department’s facilities, the UT Education Department is organising the tourney on a ground that had not hosted a tournament in the recent past.

Though the Sector 23 field had hosted several important championships earlier and was known as the hub of ‘football’ in the city, the ground failed to get proper attention with the passage of time and tourneys started shifting to grounds of other schools.

“The ground is not fit for playing. Instead of using the professional fields, the Education Department uses the school grounds, which are not properly maintained due to paucity of resources. If not on the Sports Department grounds, these events can be conducted on grounds of private schools that come under the Education Department and are well maintained,” said an official of the department.

“Imagine, getting injured due to a bad playing field. The players don’t realise during the match, but uneven patches are dangerous. Football is a body-contact sport and injuries do occur, but it should not be the reason for having a bad playing field. If resources are available with the department, these should be utilised,” said another official.

While the AIFF rules mention conducting matches of 45-minute duration (each half), the matches were conducted for 30 minutes (each half) or even less. An official, seeking anonymity, said the teams were not willing to play beyond the set time and they were being provided with what they had asked for.