Kochi: The selection trial of Kerala Blasters Football junior team was scuttled by Left front MLA P V Sreenijan at Kochi on charges of not paying rent today, media reports said.
Sreenijan, who is the president of the district sports council, ordered closing of the gate of the council’s Panampilly Nagar ground even as hundreds of boys from across the state waited from wee hours of today, the reports said.
Sreenijan ordered to keep the gate closed alleging that the rent was not paid for many months to use the ground by the Blasters.
He said that an amount of Rs 8 lakh was pending for eight months. Sreenijan said that the Blasters had failed to respond to the letters sent from the council to settle the dues.
Contradictory to Sreenijan’s claims, State Sports Council president U Sharaf Ali told the newsskerala.com that there was no pending arrears state council.
He said that there was a contract for one year for conducting selection trials or using other facilities.
He said that the district sports council had come down to open the gates as per information received by him.
The state council had not issued any direction ho the district council.
Permission was needed only to conduct tournaments and other commercial activities.
Ali said there was an agreement between the state council and Kerala Blasters to use the ground.
Sreenijan who was a Congress MLA had migrated to the Left after the Congress ignored him following financial allegations against him.
Sreenijan had also pulled up a fight with entrepreneur Sabu Jacob heading a political party Twenty20 in Sreenijan’s assembly constituency of Kunnathunad in Ernakulam after Sabu started to gain tremendous popularity.
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