The Salt Lake Stadium can be the Venue for Hosting the U- 17 FIFA World Cup
Kolkata: The Salt Lake Stadium of Kolkata is the frontrunner to host the final of FIFA U-17 World Cup next year, on October 28. The tournament will be held in India from October 06-28. A 13 member representative team from FIFA have approved the Salt Lake Stadium to host the mega event.
The draw for the mega-event, to be held across six venues in India, will take place on July 7. A total of 52 matches will be played during the tournament. According to sources, Kolkata is likely to host 8 matches, including the final.
Asked about the chances of Kolkata hosting the final, Tournament director, Javier Ceppi said, “This question keeps coming back and same thing I keep telling you. Before we can announce about final, we have to complete the work fully.”
He further added that they are satisfied with the progress of work across all the six centers.
“We are extremely satisfied. Monsoon has been severe here so has been summer. We will understand the weather constraint after January, we will have an assessment, then we will see whether a final or a key match can be played here,” he added.
A massive amount of work has gone into the Salt Lake Stadium since the last inspection in February. The iconic venue has successfully drawn high praise from the FIFA representatives.
“The stadium has the potential to be one of the best in the country and can also compete internationally,” said Competitions Department Lead, FIFA Delegation Marion Mayer-Vorfelder.
“We first came here two years ago to see the stadium. The work that has done has been staggering. I am confident that the stadium will look 30 years younger. I grew up here, watched football here, it gives me immense pleasure to say Kolkata has been ratified as one of the venues for World Cup matches,” Joy Bhattacharya, Project director — FIFA U-17 World Cup, said.
State Sports Minister Aroop Biswas has assured that the entire work in the stadium will be completed by January 31. According to Mr. Biswas, “At least 75 to 80 per cent work has been done. The work is going on at a good pace. The entire work in and around the stadium will be complete by January 31.”
Kochi, Mumbai, Guwahati, Delhi, and Margao have already been ratified as venues, following inspections by the FIFA delegation.