New Delhi: All India Football Federation's (AIFF) General Secretary Kushal Das recalled how the idea of hosting the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2017 brought about the notion of taking Indian football to the next level.
India has lately emerged as the go-to destination for hosting international competitions since the seamless hosting of the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017.
The FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup is also slated for February 2021 in India and the country has also managed to bag the rights to host the AFC Women's Asian Cup in 2022.
India hosted the FIFA U-17 World Cup in 2017. Speaking to AIFF TV Mr. Das revealed that the idea was suggested by the FIFA Technical Director in a meeting in Bengaluru in 2013.
"I remember where it started. I was talking to the Technical Director of FIFA who had come to Bengaluru for a meeting on our youth development programme. It was therein that he suggested we pitch for FIFA U17 World Cup. It was sometimes around 2013," Das said while speaking to AIFF TV.
"In 2014 we received the confirmation from FIFA and started our work. It was a long process. It needed a lot of activities like coordinating with the Government regarding guarantees, setting up a team," he added.
AIFF General Secretary Kushal Das The championship in India shattered the record set during the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Colombia (1,309,929 in 2011) to mark it the most-attended FIFA youth World Cup ever.
"Once we hosted the U17 World Cup in 2017 we were confident to host more international events. Although the preparation for FIFA U17 Women's World Cup has been dented because of the pandemic we are confident to pull this off successfully. We were convinced to earn the hosting rights for this one as well as the AFC Women's Asian Cup in 2022," Das said,
The U-17 Women's World Cup is slated to kick-off on February 17, 2021, with the final slated for March 7.
Ahmedabad, Bhubaneswar, Guwahati, Kolkata, and Navi Mumbai have already been confirmed as the five host cities for the tournament which will see sixteen teams locking horns for the coveted trophy.
The 2020 FIFA Women's World Cup is scheduled to be held in India. The AIFF has not stopped at the AFC Women's Championship 2022, however, as Mr. Das went on to reveal that the Federation has also placed a bid for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, although he does admit that it will be a "different ballgame".
"Although we have submitted our bid (to host), there are some big footballing nations who pose a big challenge. Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Iran, and Uzbekistan have also expressed their interest. Given the fact that Qatar would host the FIFA World Cup in 2022, facilities and infrastructures would be top class. We'll see and look into our strategies," Das concluded.
