FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017: FIFA gives verdict on Delhi's preparations

What’s the story?

FIFA had recently raised some concerns about high pollution levels near the Delhi venue of the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup. However, according to an official working closely with the Local Organising Committee of the World Cup spoke to Deccan Chronicle and said that the concerns of FIFA had been put to bed due to policies put in place by the government.

India, being the hosts, automatically get a spot in Group A of the World Cup and the venue for the Group A games is set to be the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi. The sport's highest governing body has expressed happiness about the ban on firecrackers imposed by the government in NCR.

FIFA had previously raised some concerns about Delhi, as the city experiences copious amounts of pollution during Diwali which would occur around the time of the tournament.

In case you didn’t know...

India is set to host the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup which will be starting from 6^th October. 24 countries from six continents will be taking part to win one of the biggest honours in youth football, with matches being played in six cities across the nation.

The heart of the matter

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) in April, had sent a request to FIFA to move India’s World Cup games to New Delhi as the sports ministry favoured Delhi as the venue. Following the request, FIFA confirmed its decision to shift Group A ties to New Delhi and choosing Navi Mumbai to host Group B games instead.

The ban on firecrackers in the National Capital Region (NCR) has pleased FIFA and the world football governing body has also made sure that Delhi will host its last game on October 16, three days ahead of Diwali.

Moreover, steps are being taken to make sure that no diesel-fuelled machines are used in Delhi. Dust pollution is another huge problem that is needed to be addressed in the city. And a large number of sprinklers are going to be used in the upcoming months, in order to tackle the problem of dust and pollution according to one of the officials working in the Local Organizing Committee.

What’s next?

The draw for the FIFA U-17 World Cup is scheduled to take place on Friday, July 7 at 7 PM IST at Hotel Sahara Star, Mumbai.

Authors take

Pollution has been a problem in Delhi over the past few years, but the upcoming FIFA U-17 World Cup might be the wake-up call that the city needs. A successful tournament will not only raise India’s stock globally but might also help in better positioning of football in the country.