Sadly the stadiums will have to mainly be cricket stadiums, with some athletic fields. The positives though will be that hopefully some of the training facilities will be improved and that India can prove that it can host official FIFA events and thus pave the way for more FIFA/AFC events in the future... perhaps help India's bid for the Olympics in the future as well.
It would also help in showing investors that football is indeed alive in India and we can get more money in the country for the game.
The FIFA official also revealed that they have shortlisted two stadiums – Bambolim and Fatorda — to host the matches of the championship.
Lavishing high praise on the Bambolim stadium, Ceppi said, “The Bambolim stadium is one of the best stadiums in country as it has been done beautifully. It’s much better than the 40-odd stadiums that I have seen in India and it offers excellent facilities.
”“The pitch has the size but the grass has to be worked and it has good drainage,” he added.
Javier Ceppi was delighted to inform Goa as provisional host of the AFC under-16 championships. The tournament is scheduled to be played between September 15 and October 2, 2016.
The grounds at Benaulim, Tilak Maidan (Vasco) and Cuncolim will be upgraded to international standards as training venues with a budget of Rs 15 crore in place. However, the fourth training ground at Utorda will have to be build up from scratch.
The Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru stadium at Fatorda-Margao will host the tournaments matches in Goa and the pitch is to be refurbished along with the stadium as the FIFA guidelines to host a World Cup event. Rs 15 crore will be spent on the main venue and another Rs 15 crore will be utilized for the overall infrastructure in the State. Javier informed that the guidelines include 8,532 requirements and the list is with the Sports Authority of Goa (SAG) to execute it before the U-16 AFC tournament.
The Executive Director of SAG Sandip Jacques as the nodal officer of the Goa Government officially handed over the agreement to Javier Ceppi in the presence of Sports Minister Ramesh Tawadkar, MLA of Sanquelim constituency Pramod Sawant, Sports Secretary of Goa Mathew Samuel and AIFF representative Savio Messias.
The schedule of the under-17 FIFA World Cup is not yet finalized but a total of 52 matches will be played during the tournament with 16 countries in fray of the title. Each venue is guaranteed to host six group matches along with a knock-out fixture. It will be a mater of merit for the venues to host the key matches depending on the sale of tickets and just not the capacity of the stadium.
he AIFF’s U-17 Academy is based at Benaulim and it will be an added advantage for the team to play their home matches in Goa
Comments
http://m.sports.ndtv.com/football/news/244652-indian-football-pitches-not-fit-for-world-cup-matches-official
The FIFA official also revealed that they have shortlisted two stadiums – Bambolim and Fatorda — to host the matches of the championship.
Lavishing high praise on the Bambolim stadium, Ceppi said, “The Bambolim stadium is one of the best stadiums in country as it has been done beautifully. It’s much better than the 40-odd stadiums that I have seen in India and it offers excellent facilities.
”“The pitch has the size but the grass has to be worked and it has good drainage,” he added.
The grounds at Benaulim, Tilak Maidan (Vasco) and Cuncolim will be upgraded to international standards as training venues with a budget of Rs 15 crore in place. However, the fourth training ground at Utorda will have to be build up from scratch.
The Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru stadium at Fatorda-Margao will host the tournaments matches in Goa and the pitch is to be refurbished along with the stadium as the FIFA guidelines to host a World Cup event. Rs 15 crore will be spent on the main venue and another Rs 15 crore will be utilized for the overall infrastructure in the State. Javier informed that the guidelines include 8,532 requirements and the list is with the Sports Authority of Goa (SAG) to execute it before the U-16 AFC tournament.
The Executive Director of SAG Sandip Jacques as the nodal officer of the Goa Government officially handed over the agreement to Javier Ceppi in the presence of Sports Minister Ramesh Tawadkar, MLA of Sanquelim constituency Pramod Sawant, Sports Secretary of Goa Mathew Samuel and AIFF representative Savio Messias.
The schedule of the under-17 FIFA World Cup is not yet finalized but a total of 52 matches will be played during the tournament with 16 countries in fray of the title. Each venue is guaranteed to host six group matches along with a knock-out fixture. It will be a mater of merit for the venues to host the key matches depending on the sale of tickets and just not the capacity of the stadium.
he AIFF’s U-17 Academy is based at Benaulim and it will be an added advantage for the team to play their home matches in Goa