Chennai Corporation's move ends in self-goal, players get football turfs back
The GCC announcement to maintain the status quo was welcomed by football players and fans alike, with many expressing relief and gratitude.
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CHENNAI: The 'bicycle kick' by the Greater Chennai Corporation — privatising football turfs in the city, putting a cost of Rs 120 per hour per player, thereby adding Rs 93 lakh per year to its exchequer — ended as a self-goal on Wednesday with the civic body making a hasty retreat. The civic body has attributed its U-turn to "requests from the public and players".
The GCC announcement to maintain the status quo was welcomed by football players and fans alike, with many expressing relief and gratitude. There was an uproar from the opposition councillors as Mayor R Priya passed the resolution at the council meeting on Tuesday. With players and other stakeholders too voicing their angst in a big way, the GCC had no other go but to backtrack from the move, a stakeholder told DT Next.
As per GCC's move to privatise football turfs at nine places in the city, the contractor will generate Rs 2.3 crore of revenue every year of which the Corporation's share will be Rs 93 lakh. This will go up by 5 per cent every year.
"Based on the request from the public and players, we have arrived at the new decision. The football turfs will be maintained by the Chennai Corporation as usual and players can use them for free," deputy mayor M Magesh Kumaar told DT Next.
Several football players, who protested in front of the Amma Malikai park at Kodambakkam main road against the resolution, expressed their gratitude for the GCC's change of heart. "It will take at least three hours for the players to practise football, which means Rs 360 per person. The players can't afford that much," said K Manikandan, a former football player at Saidapet.
Pointing out that it was noteworthy that the DMK regime turned nine playgrounds into football turf in 2022, K Jayasurya, a football player who goes for practice at the artificial Thiru Vi Ka Nagar Park turf, said the decision to charge for playing there takes the sheen of the decision. "It will only make youngsters quit the sport and find happiness in drugs and alcohol," he said.
"The decision to revoke the decision to privatise football turfs is laudable. With football being the major sporting culture among low-income groups, the move will help produce more talent for the national and domestic teams," opined Joel Shelton, a social activist.