A two-member FIFA team visited the refurbished Cooperage football ground in Mumbai on Sunday to have a look at its artificial playing surface and other amenities as part of their inspection of eight venues short-listed to host the Under-17 World Cup in 2017.
FIFA officials Eric Harrison and Chrisantha Perera on Friday inspected the Cooperage ground and expressed satisfaction that it had the requisite conditions for laying an artificial turf sanctioned by football's world governing body.
India has been termed the sleeping giant of world football by FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association) president Sepp Blatter, and to awaken the dormant potential of the region, the international football association has launched a new program in partnership with the football associations of seven Indian states.
National football team captain Sunil Chhetri and Women's national team striker Bala Devi, were named the 'AIFF 2014 Player of the Year' and '2014 AIFF Woman Footballer of the Year', respectively.
News of all that tranpired on and off the football field.
Asian Football Confederation president Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al-Khalifa inaugurated the refurbished Cooperage stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday and said hosting the Under-17 World Cup in 2017 will boost development of the game in the country. The refurbishing of Cooperage was done under FIFA's 'Win in India, With India' project.
'Till a new road map is decided the old one continues. Why is somebody complaining? You cannot complain on a hypothetical situation. But if they want to shout let them shout, we are not going to be intimidated'
Announcing the window for the 24-team championship, which includes India as hosts, Tournament Director Javier Cepii told a media conference in Mumbai that the D Y Patil Sports Academy in Navi Mumbai is among the four centres, which has been given provisional approval to host matches in the 23-day event.
Expressing serious concern at the unsavoury incident that happened after the Indian Super League final in Goa on Sunday, All India Football Federation president Praful Patel said on Monday he was awaiting the match commissioner's report before cracking the whip on the wrongdoers.
