PANJIM: The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has made it compulsory that clubs playing even in their group stages of AFC Cup should host matches under floodlights this season. With India’s champion club Dempo Sports Club now set to play their opening game of the AFC Cup 2011 on March 1 against Yemen’s Al Tilal, they have no option but to look elsewhere as their home venue in Goa – Nehru stadium, Fatorda – is devoid of proper arrangements for floodlights to host an international football match, in the present case the AFC Cup.
With this being the scenario and the fact that there is just over a week’s time left for the AFC Cup to begin, Dempos have decided that their opening home game on March 1 will be played at Shiv Chhatrapati Stadium Balewadi, Pune which has floodlight facilities.
Dempo SC coach Armando Colaco disclosed that the AFC has made it obligatory that clubs playing both in AFC Champions League and also at the AFC Cup will have to host their matches under floodlights and as such the rule applies to Dempos who under the present scenario cannot play at Nehru stadium Fatorda, which is their home venue.
“Dempo SC will be playing their first match (AFC Cup) on March 1 and that will be at Pune,” Armando confirmed after there were reports that the match would be shifted out of Goa. According to AFC website, Dempo are slated to play all their AFC Cup group home matches at Pune, with the first one slated against the Yemen team on March 1.
Even in the past, Dempos were forced to play their AFC Cup ties out of Goa because of unavailability of floodlights at Nehru stadium. In 2008, if one may remember, Dempo played their knock-out matches in Hyderabad during the 2008 edition of AFC Cup. They had made history then of becoming the first Indian club to make it to the semi-finals of the 2008 AFC Cup championships.
The Dempo team which returned early Monday morning after a good performance against Qatar’s Al Sadd in the AFC Champions League play-off, despite the 2-0 loss, will now be shifting focus on excelling in the AFC Cup. The AFC has been categorical about the fact that Dempos have been the flag bearer of Indian football at the AFC events over the past four to five years on a consistent basis and wants the Goan giants to compulsorily play under floodlights for being a regular representative at the AFC Cup and also for having twice played in the play-off of the AFC Champions League in 2009 against Sharjah FC and now against Al Sadd in Doha-Qatar.
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