Bengaluru Football Club (BFC) coach Ashley Westwood has described the pitch at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium as ‘one of the worst in the country’.
The club played the previous season at the Bangalore Football Stadium (BFS). It moved to Kanteerava at the start of this season as the BFS is set for a makeover ahead of the 2017 FIFA Under-17 World Cup.
On the eve of his side’s I-League match against Shillong Lajong on Saturday, Westwood said: “The pitch is very bumpy and uneven. This stadium is not ideal for an aggressive team like us, which relies on quick passing.” The Englishman, however, made it clear that his team was not bothered by these hiccups. “It is what it is. We are prepared to play with whatever is given to us,” he said.
The venue is also used for track and field events, and is often rented out for corporate functions. These non-footballing activities have taken a toll on the pitch, as well as the quality of football on offer. This was best illustrated in the previous I-League encounter a week ago when BFC and Bharat FC put on a lacklustre show.
Players from both sides found it difficult to control the ball, and accurate passing — the key to efficient build-up play — was tough to execute.
“We do not have authority to keep people off the stadium. We just have to deal with it,” Westwood said.
The atmosphere at the stadium too left a lot to be desired. Matches at the smaller BFS were more lively, as fans sat close to the play area. “The Kanteerava is big. We need 25,000 people to feel like it is even half-full. We need to attract more people to the ground,” Westwood stated.
