Timeline of India's bid to host the U-17 FIFA World Cup in 2017

FIFA will be announcing the host of the U-17 World Cup to be held in 2017 on December 3, 2013.

India is one of the nations hoping to host the prestigious event and they will be competing with the likes of Ireland, Uzbekistan and South Africa.

But how close were India to losing the rights to host the event even before they could submit a bid? Here is a timeline of all the events leading up to the bid and the announcement.

1. May 2013: The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) approves the All India Football Federation’s (AIFF) bid for the the 2017 Under-17 Word Cup in India.

2. June 2013: It is revealed that the Union Cabinet had sanctioned Rs. 95 crore to upgrade stadia but questions are asked of the budget.

3. July 2013: Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy wants to host the tournament in Kerala and is willing to spend an additional Rs. 25 crore if required.

4. October 2013: AIFF Senior Vice-President Subrata Dutta thinks the bid is in jeopardy due to the Government’s lack of interest after the 2010 Commonwealth Games fiasco.

5. November 2013: FIFA officials want India to host the World Cup but the Indian government is stalling, leaving AIFF with little time to submit a formal bid before the deadline date in mid-November.

6. November 2013: The government of India furnishes the required guarantees before the deadline so that AIFF can submit the bid documents to FIFA.

7. November 2013: India officially submits a bid to host the U-17 FIFA World Cup in 2017 just a day before the November 15 deadline.

8. December 2013: FIFA to announce the winner of the bid to host the 2017 World Cup after an executive committee meeting on December 4 and 5 .