'Delhi stadia are like cancer patients'

Co-chairman of the first Afro-Asian Games organising committee Suresh Kalmadi could not believe his ears when Asian Football Confederation secretary general Peter Velappan likened the stadia where the Games' football matches will be held to cancer patients.

"I have seen the three stadiums -- Jawaharlal Nehru stadium, Ambedkar stadium and Chattrasal stadium -- where the football matches would be held. I can tell you that their condition is much worse then that of cancer patients who can be administered medicine but cannot be cured," Velappan told rather amused mediamen, who had been invited to a press conference by Kalmadi on Saturday.

Kalmadi, who had only recently bragged about the 'good' condition of the capital's stadia, indeed did not know what hit him. His misery was further aggravated when Velappan said the stadia in its present shape are good enough to be kept in archives.

"If games of international standard have to be held at these stadiums they have to be demolished and built again. Since this cannot be done in a short span of time, the organizing committee has called for the help of a curator from Kolkatta to make some significant improvements in the ground conditions," Velappan told rediff.com after the press meet.

However, Kalmadi got some support from Thomas Sithole, secretary general of the Association of National Olympic Committees of Africa, who said he had seen stadia which were in even worse condition.

"The chairman tells us that the stadiums would be ready well before time and we have no reason to believe otherwise. I am sure that they will be ready and we will have good games," Sithole said.

Both Sithole and Velappan, however, agreed on one point -- that the Games cannot be postponed beyond November this year.

"We never discussed this word postponed. I cannot even spell it," Sithole claimed.

Velappan said postponement of the Games would mean "waiting for another five years for first Afro-Asian Games to be organised".

India will meet Nigeria in the opening match of the football competition, which has eight teams participating. While Nigeria, Turkmenistan, Morrocco and India have been placed in Group A, Cameroon, Iran, South Africa and Kuwait are placed in Group B.

The matches will be played on a round-robin basis and two best teams from each group will play in the semi-finals. The final will be played at the Nehru stadium on November 11, the concluding day Games.

Asked why South Korea and Japan are not taking part in the football tournament, Velappan said the two teams are busy taking part in the qualifying rounds for the World Cup.

Kalmadi said the last date for entries is October 2, after which no entry will be accepted.

"We expect top athletes from all the participating nations. The delegates of most of the countries have assured us that they would send their best participants. Those who won medals at the Edmonton Games are also likely to participate. The next Afro-Asian Games will be held in South Africa in 2005," Kalmadi informed.