FIFA to announce Under-17 World Cup host today; India optimistic

FIFA will announce the host for the 2017 U-17 World Cup today when they meet in the Brazilian city of Salvador da Bahia.

India will be hoping fervently to clinch the chance to host its first ever football World Cup event. India will be hoping to ward off rival bids from Ireland, South Africa and Uzbekistan.

The AIFF (All India Football Federation) has been working on the bid for over a year and following a green signal from the Central Government and state governments, has provided sufficient assurances and details about the infrastructure, host cities, and security.

The sports ministry has set aside Rs. 95 crore for the development of stadiums and an additional Rs. 25 crore will be kept as contingency funds. The tournament expenses will be borne by both AIFF and FIFA.

AIFF officially submitted a bid last month and AIFF general secretary Kushal Das rated India’s chances of securing the hosting rights at ‘seven’ on a scale of one to ten.

Mr. Das’s optimism is linked with Sepp Blatter’s recent visit to the country. The FIFA president said: “There is a good possibility. But I am not the only one in FIFA who decides. The decision has to be taken by the executive committee.”

Das, however, remains optimistic.

“Our bid is comprehensive and FIFA has been quite encouraging. They have realised the vast potential the country has and they really want us to host the tournament. Hopefully, they will find our bid satisfactory,” he said.