FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017 Stadium Watch: Guwahati's Indira Gandhi Stadium almost ready to host mega event

The FIFA U-17 World Cup is just about a month away and we here at Sportskeeda take a look at the progress being made in all the six stadiums chosen to host the mega event. This is the first time India will host a FIFA event and it is a matter of great pride not only for India but for the entire region of South East Asia.

We begin our review feature from the easternmost host venue, the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Sarusajai, Guwahati. With a total of nine games slated to be played in Guwahati, the IGA Stadium is one of the three stadiums to be given the honour of hosting a World Cup semi final or final alongside Kolkata's Salt Lake Stadium and Mumbai's DY Patil Stadium.

Guwahati will be hosting the group stage games of Group E which feature teams like France and Japan along with Honduras and New Caledonia. It will also host a heavyweight tie of Group F - Mexico vs Chile - and a full house is expected for which.

After the group stage, Guwahati will also host one round of 16 tie, one quarter-final, and one semi final. The Local Organising Committee along with FIFA expect a packed IGA Stadium during the knockout phases of the tournament, keeping in mind the love and passion for football that the region has.

After the renovation work is complete, the stadium will have a seating capacity of around 24,000. The seating capacity has been reduced due to the installation of bucket seats and keeping in mind of FIFA Standards regarding fire safety and escape routes during an emergency.

The newly-installed bucket seats

The following things have been completed:-

#1 Installation of bucket seats is complete for the galleries.

#2 Roof has been put in place above the east side gallery.

#3 The new playing turf which has been laid looks absolutely mesmerizing. It is probably the best feature of the stadium and the turf has world class features.

#4 All four practice pitches (IGA practice pitch 1, Nehru Stadium, SAI Field, Tepesia Sports Complex) have been redone with the same Quality Turf as the Main Playing field and look to be in good shape.

#5 The LOC (Local Organising Committee) seem to know what they are doing and look motivated and passionate to host the event and make it a success. Their planning and coordination have been impressive and detail-oriented.

#6 Street lights have been installed on the highway that connects the stadium to the city and also with the airport.

A view of the stadium from the stands

The following things are expected to be finished within this week:-

#1 Completion of the press box.

#2 Final modification and decoration of the players dressing rooms and tunnel.

#3 Installation of giant screens (one is already in place).

#4 Completion of the final touches to the VIP boxes.

#5 Final coat of paint around the stadium.

The only thing that is creating a frown in the forehead of the LOC and FIFA is that Hotel Novotel, which has been contracted to be one of the two hotels in Guwahati to host the teams and delegates along with Taj Vivanta, is not yet officially open to guests and the construction of the hotel is still incomplete.

The inside of the IGA Stadium

The hotel has assured FIFA that it will be ready to host the teams before October, but it does look like there could be an issue with completing the construction, getting the rooms and facilities ready in time for the mega event.

Author's Take

The hotel issue shouldn't be much of a headache as Guwahati also has another five-star hotel already functioning in Raddison Blu, which is quite near to the stadium and has the experience of hosting ISL teams in the past.

Another view of the stadium

All in all, Guwahati seems to be ready to host the mega event but needs to complete the minor things that remain incomplete at the very onset. The reason for the delay in completing these minor things has been the continuous flood situation that has gripped the state and the long monsoon season has made construction work very difficult. Now with the monsoons over, the pending work should hopefully be completed in the upcoming days.