Goa gets Fifa nod for U-17 World Cup

Panaji: Fifa is pleased with the progress that Goa has made on all fronts and had little hesitation in announcing that the state has been confirmed as one of the six venues for the Fifa U-17 World Cup next year.
A Fifa delegation along with the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) was in Goa on Saturday to check Goa’s preparedness for the biggest football event in India but having successfully hosted the AFC U-16 Championship last month, it was only a matter of time before a formal announcement was made.
It didn’t take long.
“Given the support, given the readiness of the facilities and given that we have hosted a fantastic AFC Championship, we are happy to say that Goa has been ratified as a venue for the 2017 World Cup,” tournament director Javier Ceppi.
The AFC U-16 Championship saw 16 teams from across the continent arrive in Goa for the championship, and even though only four teams will be based here for the U-17 World Cup group stages, the challenges will be entirely different.
“It’s on a different scale. Logistically, the AFC Championship was a challenging tournament because we were dealing with two stadiums, 16 teams, six training sites, four hotels. In terms of operations, the World Cup is a little bit simpler since it’s usually (just) one group. But the requirements are much larger, on a completely different and grander scale,” said Ceppi.
Tracy Lu, Fifa Project Lead for Goa, patted the state for the progress it has made since the previous visit, and, of course, the successful hosting of the AFC Championship.
“We are truly happy being here to see the huge progress being made in most function areas,” Lu told reporters.
Sports minister Ramesh Tawadkar and executive director of Sports Authority of Goa, VM Prabhudesai, both promised extensive support from the state government and Shrinivas Dempo, vice president of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) couldn’t thank the government enough for its unfailing support.
“It’s a matter of pride that the Fifa U-17 World Cup will be played next year in Goa. I owe my gratitude to two organizations; Fifa, for having considered Goa to be a part of this tournament and of course the government of Goa. It’s due to the government that we have been able to deliver what has been asked of us,” said Dempo.
Apart from Goa, Fifa has already ratified Kochi and Navi Mumbai as venues for the tournament, while the fate of New Delhi (Saturday), Guwahati (Sunday) and Kolkata (Monday) will be announced in the next couple of days.