World Cup Under-17: Delhi and Guwahati brace for FIFA inspection Committee verdict

FIFA’s delegation is expected to visit each of the six venues designated for the Under-17 World Cup next month, with Delhi and Guwahati facing a race to be ready in time. Led by Jamie Yarza, FIFA’s head of events, the inspection team shall observe whether each of the six stadiums in Kochi, Mumbai, Goa, Delhi, Guwahati and Kolkata are in pristine condition as stipulated in their regulations. Back in February, Yarza claimed that while the planning was in place, it was about time for the state and central governments to ensure that the execution of the same needs to be set in motion to meet the October deadline. “It would be a real shame if Delhi would miss out as the stadium is under the control of SAI (Sports Authority of India),” said Kushal Das, the general secretary of the All India Football Federation (AIFF). Meanwhile, Guwahati too is running behind schedule and in a recent meeting held in August, the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the World Cup Under-17 expressed their concern over the poor progress in the north-eastern city's Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium which needs several additions such as a proper media gallery, refurbishment of the players' tunnel, enlargement of the pitch and more.