THE BLOG BY CPD FOOTBALL | The World of Indian football and beyond by Chris Punnakkattu Daniel

AIFF President Praful Patel takes a tour of Saltlake Stadium in Kolkata

AIFF President Praful Patel takes a tour of Saltlake Stadium in Kolkata (Photo courtesy: AIFF Media)

The President of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) and Chairman of the Local Organising Committee for the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017, Praful Patel yesterday visited the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (Saltlake Stadium) in Kolkata to assess the preparedness of the venue.

He inspected the facilities at the stadium that will host ten matches this October including the all-important final.

Following the visit, Patel expressed his happiness at the preparations and was pleased with the renovations that have been made especially for the upcoming tournament and said, “I congratulate the Chief Minister of West Bengal – Mamata Banerjee for her continued support and the incredible amount of work that has been put in for the 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup in India.”

“I visited the Yuba Bharati Krirangan earlier today and it wouldn’t be unfair to say that the honourable CM, the Sports Minister – Aroop Biswas and their entire team have managed to completely renovate this facility and make it truly world-class. Come this October, the grandeur and passion that the city has for the beautiful game will be on exhibit globally.”

The first FIFA tournament in the country, the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 will take place between October 6 and 28.

Tickets for the tournament can be bought exclusively at www.fifa.com/india2017/ticketing.