AIFF sets deadline for U-17 Cup venues

New Delhi: Those stadiums which do not fulfil Fifa criteria and do not have natural turf will be dropped. I appeal to all state governments that if they want to host matches of this presti- gious tournament, to upgrade their infrastruc- ture.

Urging all the probable venues for the U-17 World Cup of 2017 to hasten the process of upgrading their infrastructure, All India Football Federation president Praful Patel said on Monday that stadiums that did not meet Fifa norms by 2015 would not be considered for the prestigious tournament.

The AIFF has selected eight venues -New Delhi, Goa, Bengaluru, Pune, Mumbai, Kochi, Kolkata and Guwahati -from which six will be shortlisted. Patel said that the AIFF was not satisfied with the current state of infrastructure and facilities at these venues and asked the respective state governments and associations to ensure that the required upgradation was completed over the next few years.

“The eight stadiums we have shortlisted, out of which six will be selected, are not final.

“The shortlist is not sacrosanct. If we see that by 2015 the desired upgradation is not hapenning, then that city will be knocked off the list,“ Patel told reporters on Monday .

“Those stadiums which do not fulfil Fifa criteria and do not have natural turf will be dropped. I appeal to all state governments that if they want to host matches of this prestigious tournament, to upgrade their infrastructure. “It has not been an easy task to get the hosting rights. The real challenge starts now and we have to develop the infrastructure to world standards to host the Under-17 World Cup successfully.

“I would say that getting the hosting rights was easier but hosting it successfully would be tougher.” The AIFF chief also said that the federation would form a committee which will include a nominee from the government look into the issue. On the impact of the U-17 World Cup on Indian football, Patel said that the AIFF was aiming to use the use the high-profile to boost the popularity of the game all over the country.

“We want to ensure that matches are held all over the country so that football becomes more of a panIndia phenomenon. Right now it is more popular in certain regions, but I believe that the U-17 World Cup will be a game-changer,” he added.