11 June,2011 07:18 AM IST | | Sundari Iyer
WIFA CEO Henry Menezes promises state-of-the-art facility at Cooperage after Bombay HC dismisses a PIL filed against them
Finally there will be some respite for football lovers in the city, who have missed out on quite a lot of local and national action, as the Bombay High Court dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) against Western India Football Association (WIFA) yesterday.
An aerial view of the Cooperage football ground in Mumbai
The construction of a stadium at the Cooperage in Churchgate can now go on as planned. The PIL was filed by former municipal commissioner Jamshed Kanga and the Oval Cooperage Residents Association.
Henry Menezes
Henry Menezes, WIFA's first CEO said, "Today the PIL filed against WIFA was dismissed by Bombay High Court. Their request for stay has also been rejected and we will now be allowed to build our football stadium." Menezes said the High Court's ruling will benefit the sport in the city and state. "Hopefully, in a couple of years we will have international matches played at our stadium," he said.
The final copy of the judgement is awaited for more details, said Menezes. "All I can say at the moment is that it will be a world-class stadium and it is going to benefit the entire football community," he said. However, at the moment their task is to get the ground ready for the next I-League season. "The refurbished stands and turf should be ready by July 15," he added.
Meanwhile, Air-India's chief coach Santosh Kashyap reckoned it's a double bonus for football in terms of a new turf and stadium. "The crowd that was missing from the last 25-30 years will come back to Cooperage. The younger generation is passionate but they are not getting better opportunities and ground facilities. This is surely a boost of sorts,"
said Kashyap.
