Kerala has got a head start in its preparations for the 2017 under-17 World Cup, which the FIFA allotted to India on Thursday, and this should make Kochi a favourite to host the event, feels K.M.I. Mather.
“We have done a lot of work well in advance, even before the bidding began,” Mather, the Kerala Football Association President and the national body AIFF’s Vice-President, told The Hindu here on Friday. “And the Kerala Government is completely behind it, whatever FIFA wants, it will do it.”
Kochi is one of the eight contenders identified by the AIFF to host the under-17 World Cup. Only six will make the cut.
And Mather is confident that Kochi will get the AIFF nod to host one of the championship’s six groups in the league stage and probably a quarterfinal and, if lucky, a semifinal too.
The favourites
“Kochi, Goa and Kolkata are definite venues. There is a 95 per cent chance of Kochi getting it,” he said.
The FIFA is likely to give the details of the things it expects a host is supposed to do, within a week.
“We have an executive committee meeting of the AIFF in New Delhi on December 20, we will discuss the matter there,” said Mather. “And then the AIFF will ask the eight States (which have been shortlisted) to give a guarantee that they will fulfil all the conditions.”
The best for India
He believes the under-17 World Cup is the perfect thing to revive Indian football.
“If we had got the main World Cup, the quality would have been too high for us,” said the KFA head. “The under-17 event will also mean that our 13 and 14-year-olds will start playing seriously for they will be aware that they have a chance to play a World Cup.
“And since it is a World Cup for youngsters, schools and colleges will take a lot of interest in football. This will change the football scene in a big way.”
Mather represented the AIFF at the under-17 World Cup, which ended in the UAE last month, and he was impressed with the show.
Lessons from UAE
“I was in the UAE for 10 days for the World Cup, they did it fantastically, it was precise and well organised. I’ve taken all the details,” he said.
All things he would like to use in Kochi.
While the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here will be the main venue if Kerala gets the green signal, Kochi will need at least four practice grounds for the World Cup.
“We have got the Ambedkar Stadium, the Maharaja’s College ground, the St. Albert’s College ground near the Nehru Stadium. We are trying to get one ground at Kalamassery near the Cominco Binani…and the Rajagiri School in Kalamassery also has got a very good ground,” said Mather.
The Central Government has sanctioned Rs. 140 crore for infrastructure development for the World Cup and the KFA hopes to get Rs. 15 to 20 crore for the preparations in Kerala.
“Our present stadium will have to be mordernised a bit. We may have to change the entire VIP area, most probably, we may have to put AC there.”
Comments
http://bit.ly/1aL6EMu
http://indianfootballer.in/page.php?hash=42c80fbfdf9af7a47c2048b713940872
http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/detailsnew.asp?id=dec0713/sports07
Kerala has got a head start in its preparations for the 2017 under-17 World Cup, which the FIFA allotted to India on Thursday, and this should make Kochi a favourite to host the event, feels K.M.I. Mather.
“We have done a lot of work well in advance, even before the bidding began,” Mather, the Kerala Football Association President and the national body AIFF’s Vice-President, told The Hindu here on Friday. “And the Kerala Government is completely behind it, whatever FIFA wants, it will do it.”
Kochi is one of the eight contenders identified by the AIFF to host the under-17 World Cup. Only six will make the cut.
And Mather is confident that Kochi will get the AIFF nod to host one of the championship’s six groups in the league stage and probably a quarterfinal and, if lucky, a semifinal too.
The favourites
“Kochi, Goa and Kolkata are definite venues. There is a 95 per cent chance of Kochi getting it,” he said.
The FIFA is likely to give the details of the things it expects a host is supposed to do, within a week.
“We have an executive committee meeting of the AIFF in New Delhi on December 20, we will discuss the matter there,” said Mather. “And then the AIFF will ask the eight States (which have been shortlisted) to give a guarantee that they will fulfil all the conditions.”
The best for India
He believes the under-17 World Cup is the perfect thing to revive Indian football.
“If we had got the main World Cup, the quality would have been too high for us,” said the KFA head. “The under-17 event will also mean that our 13 and 14-year-olds will start playing seriously for they will be aware that they have a chance to play a World Cup.
“And since it is a World Cup for youngsters, schools and colleges will take a lot of interest in football. This will change the football scene in a big way.”
Mather represented the AIFF at the under-17 World Cup, which ended in the UAE last month, and he was impressed with the show.
Lessons from UAE
“I was in the UAE for 10 days for the World Cup, they did it fantastically, it was precise and well organised. I’ve taken all the details,” he said.
All things he would like to use in Kochi.
While the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here will be the main venue if Kerala gets the green signal, Kochi will need at least four practice grounds for the World Cup.
“We have got the Ambedkar Stadium, the Maharaja’s College ground, the St. Albert’s College ground near the Nehru Stadium. We are trying to get one ground at Kalamassery near the Cominco Binani…and the Rajagiri School in Kalamassery also has got a very good ground,” said Mather.
The Central Government has sanctioned Rs. 140 crore for infrastructure development for the World Cup and the KFA hopes to get Rs. 15 to 20 crore for the preparations in Kerala.
“Our present stadium will have to be mordernised a bit. We may have to change the entire VIP area, most probably, we may have to put AC there.”
I am from kerala, still I don't want kochi to get WC as we don't have a "football stadium". why we should play WC in cricket stadium???