Indian men's national football team defender Sandesh Jhingan has taken to Twitter to share his thoughts regarding the awful playing conditions in the ongoing Senior Women's National Football Championship.
According to reports, the two venues for the tournament - Pasighat and CHF stadiums - held in Arunachal Pradesh were drenched with rainwater and waterlogged. The conditions were poor, and huge puddles had formed.
"Really dissappointed to see this during one of the women’s league game. Women’s @IndianFootball has done so well in the past and they deserve much more than this. Also for India to grow as a footballing Giant we need improvement in all sectors irrespective of the gender and age", tweeted Jhingan.
Karnataka captain Tanvie Hans took to Twitter to share photos of the CHF pitch, where her side lost to Bihar. The photographs shared by her showed the poor conditions of the field, which showed puddles everywhere.
Speaking to News18, The Arunachal Pradesh Football Association secretary revealed that the ground conditions were better later due to the sun coming out, and the poor conditions were due to continuous rain, with the volunteers taking out water from the ground via buckets.
Jhingan's reaction is understandable considering the horrendous conditions of the fields in the photos. Professional players should not be allowed to play in such conditions as it can lead to injury. But in reality state associations also don't have much choice due to poor funding. Indian football still has a long way to go.
