PANAJI: The I-League 's cup of woes is full to the brim. As if the poor broadcast and reduction in number of televised matches were not enough to infuriate participating clubs.

Churchill Brothers FC and Indian Arrows reluctantly played their 10th round match on a training ground at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Sunday.

The All India Football Federation's developmental side were schedule to take on Churchill Brothers at Kalinga Stadium for the first time. Instead, they were left with no choice but play at the practice venue outside the multipurpose stadium after the refurbished pitch at the main ground could not be readied on time.

The Kalinga Stadium had hosted the Hockey World Cup from November 28 to December 16.

Churchill landed in Bhubaneswar thinking they were playing at the main stadium. But on the eve of the encounter, they were told that the stadium was not ready to host the I-League clash.

"We were informed about the change of venue only a day prior to the match. However, the pitch at the practice venue was good, so we agreed," said a Churchill Brothers official. The kickoff time was also advanced from 5pm to 2pm to make up for the absence of floodlights.

Churchill's big concern, though, was of player safety and the dressing rooms which were a five-minute walk away from the training ground.

Indian Arrows had initially played all their four home games at the Barabati Stadium where they won two of their games against Shillong Lajong FC and Gokulam Kerala FC. Arrows chose Odisha as their home after the state government promised them the best facilities for training and competition.

