Kerala Blasters' home game against Bengaluru FC, scheduled to be held on 31st December 2017 at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in Kochi, might well be postponed to another date after the city police raised security concerns.
Ever since the Indian Super League (ISL) fixtures came out, this match had been marked out as one to watch out for by supporters of both sides, given the recent animosity between the West Block Blues and Manjappada - fan groups of Bengaluru FC and Kerala Blasters respectively.
Demand for tickets for the game on 31st December has been high and a sellout crowd was expected. Anticipating a turbulent night on a festive period, Kochi City Police have raised a concern with the ISL authorities regarding the security situation.
As per MP Dinesh IPS, the City Police Commissioner, a letter has been sent to ISL requesting a change in the schedule.
The police will have a meeting with the authorities shortly and are expected to come to a decision on the matter.
"Yes (such a concern has been raised). Yes (a letter has been sent) but the final decision will be taken after a meeting only. We will inform you (media & public) about it," the Police Commissioner told Goal.
There has been a lot of hue and cry over the ticket allocation for the game between the sides in Bengaluru too, making for a highly-charged atmosphere between the two sets of fans.
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