34th Federation Cup: Weather to play spoilsport in Siliguri & Jamshedpur?

The 34th Federation Cup is set to played from September 19 to 30 simultaneously in Siliguri (West Bengal) and Jamshedpur (Jharkhand), but the late monsoon could cause problems to the scheduling of the tournament.

The Kanchenjunga Stadium in Siliguri is set to host two matches a day for six days, while the JRD Sports Complex and Keenan Stadium in Jamshedpur a match a day each.

Authorities in Siliguri along with players who have prior experience at the venue say that two games a day with the possibility of rains in the coming days could cause a lot of problems, e.g. making the ground slushy and heavy which could be factor regarding quality football and then teams will be playing three matches in only five days which increases the risk of injury.

In Jamshedpur the JRD Sports Complex has already hosted six matches in the qualifiers and on some days it rained which has affected the quality of the pitch. Six more matches and one hopes the rains stay away.

The Nehru Cup a few weeks ago showed what rains can do to a tournament and football matches, only there are many more matches at the Federation Cup and there aren't really any breaks in which postponed matches could be played.

One hopes the weather gods are in support of the Federation Cup...