Click to play videoSrinagar: While soccer fans have gone crazy over the World Cup extravaganza, Kashmir footballers are angry and disappointed because the state government wants to convert a historic ground into a nursery.
A former Indian soccer captain has in fact threatened to go on hunger strike and return his medals if the proposal is not rolled back.
Former captain, Abdul Majid Kakroo is trying to find out if he can bend it again after all these years. He is passing on his skills to hundreds of aspiring footballers, who want to wear the Indian colours like him.
However, play has been stopped for the last few days for Kakroo is protesting the government's plans of converting the famous TRC grounds in Srinagar into a tulip nursery, leaving the footballers with no place to practice or play.
"I will stage a dharna outside the civil secretariat. We will shed our blood but not allow government to take the ground. Where will young footballers go if the government starts taking over playing grounds?" asks Kakroo.
Kakroo isn't too sure if his dharna will have the necessary effect. If nothing changes, he will go in for drastic measures including returning all his medals to the government.
"The state government have taken over all the playing grounds in the city. They built a court complex on the Gol Bagh grounds, changed the Iqbal grounds into a recreation park and now they want to grow tulips here. What will I tell the youngsters who want to take the sport as a career?" questions Kakroo.
Kashmir has produced a few international players and many more are knocking on the doors of the selection committee.
Players like Mehrajuddin Wadoo are now representing renowned clubs like Mohun Bagan and even playing for India.
With playing grounds fast disappearing in the city, footballers are getting concerned about the fact that state government is not even taking them seriously, let alone encouraging them.
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