The Delhi government's decision to host the Independence Day celebrations at the Ambedkar Stadium has forced the Nehru Cup organisers to defer the football tournament by a day and it will now start from August 19.
The organisers, All India Football Federation (AIFF) and sponsors ONGC (Oil and Natural Gas Commission) on Wednesday decided to postpone the tournament by one day to get more time to prepare the ground for the 14th edition of the tournament. The final has also been pushed back by a day and has now been slated for August 31.
“We felt that pushing back the tournament by one day will give us more time to get the ground in shape. The government has informed us that they will try to clear the ground quickly after the programme,” a top AIFF official said.