Explorer

FIFA shifts India's U-17 World Cup group matches to Delhi

New Delhi: Heeding to the government's request, football's world governing body, FIFA today shifted India's group matches of the upcoming U-17 World Cup from Mumbai to the national capital. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) initially wanted Mumbai to host India's matches but later asked FIFA to shift them to New Delhi under pressure from the sports ministry. The government felt it was appropriate that the national capital hosts the home team's matches. "Following a request from the All India Football Federation to hold the group matches of the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 in which India are playing in New Delhi, and the fruitful discussions between the Local Organising Committee (LOC) and the local government, FIFA has agreed to amend the match schedule," the Local Organising Committee (LOC) said in a statement. As per the amended schedule, Group A, featuring the home team, which is automatically seeded as A1, will be based in New Delhi and teams of Group B will be based in Navi Mumbai. Matches for the knockout stage remain as planned before. Acknowledging the increased efforts of the local authorities and the LOC in connection with the requested amendment, FIFA's Head of Tournaments Jaime Yarza said: "Attendance, especially in the venue where the home team plays its matches, is one of the priorities of the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017, crucial to achieving the purpose of better positioning football in the country, so the government's commitment in this regard is highly appreciated. "The presence of the secretary of sports at the meetings concerning the state of the works in the stadium and training sites sends a positive message and reflects the strong involvement of the authorities. "We expect this involvement to extend into the area of pollution prevention, which has been an important topic discussed in relation to the tournament, in particular in Delhi. We are now expecting an action response plan to prevent pollution levels from affecting the tournament, which ideally should continue beyond the tournament." Besides India, who are automatically qualified as hosts, the following teams have booked their tickets to the competition: Iran, Iraq, Japan, Korea DPR (Asia); New Caledonia, New Zealand (Oceania); Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Paraguay (South America); Costa Rica, Honduras, Mexico, USA (North, Central America and Caribbean); England, France, Germany, Spain, Turkey (Europe); Mali, Niger, Ghana, and Guinea (Arica).
View More
Advertisement
Advertisement
25°C
New Delhi
Rain: 100mm
Humidity: 97%
Wind: WNW 47km/h
See Today's Weather
powered by
Accu Weather
Advertisement

Top Headline

Kejriwal To Stay Delhi CM From Jail As High Court Finds 'No Legal Bar,' Ball In LG's Court Now
Kejriwal To Stay Delhi CM From Jail As High Court Finds 'No Legal Bar,' Ball In LG's Court Now
'No Court Has Proved Me Guilty': Arvind Kejriwal Thanks ED Officers, Addresses Court Personally
'No Court Has Proved Me Guilty': Arvind Kejriwal Thanks ED Officers, Addresses Court Personally
Another Setback For Congress As Delhi HC Rejects Plea Against Income Tax Case
Another Setback For Congress As Delhi HC Rejects Plea Against Income Tax Case
ED Raids Relative Of Arvind Kejriwal's Wife In Old FEMA Case
ED Raids Relative Of Arvind Kejriwal's Wife In Old FEMA Case
Advertisement
for smartphones
and tablets

Videos

Bihar Lok Sabha Polls 2024: ABP Exclusive With Papu Yadav, MP No Longer Contesting From PurniaVarun Gandhi Pens Emotional Letter To Pilibhit After Being Denied, Says 'Mai Aapka Hu Aur Rahunga'Delhi Excise Policy Case: With CM Arvind Kejriwal's Arrest, Who Will Run The State | Watch ReportLok Sabha Elections 2024: 'BJP Just Wants To Break The Aam Aadmi Party' says Saurabh Bhardwaj

Photogallery

Embed widget