AFC rejects Ranchi as venue for India's 2027 Asian Cup qualifier against Hong Kong on March 31

New Delhi, Feb 11 (PTI) The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has rejected Ranchi as venue for India's inconsequential 2027 Asian Cup qualifier match against Hong Kong on March 31 as the stadium there failed to meet infrastructure benchmarks for hosting international matches.

Kerala's Kochi has emerged as the frontrunner to host the match.

The Indian team is already out of contention for a berth in the 2027 Asian Cup main tournament after a string of poor performances last year.

With a view to take football to new places and smaller towns, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) had proposed to hold the India vs Hong Kong match at the Birsa Munda Stadium in Ranchi.

"Yes, the AFC has found the Ranchi stadium lacking in the requirements to host the international match. Kochi is one of the venues in consideration," a top AIFF source told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

A top Jharkhand Football Association official said that the main issue is related to the facilities in the dressing room, including lack of enough washrooms.

"We committed that we will build the required facilities on time but for the AFC, those (facilities) should be existing ones, not to be built and completed in future," the official said.

An AFC team inspected the stadium, which also used to host athletics events, on February 4. PTI PDS PDS AH AH