New Delhi: The postponed FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup in India was on Tuesday rescheduled to next year from February 17 to March 7 after the world body made a “thorough assessment” of the situation arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The tournament was originally scheduled to be held from November 2 to 21 this year but was postponed last month due to the coronavirus outbreak, which brought global sports activities to a grinding halt. FIFA announced that the tournament will keep its original eligibility criteria and allow “players born on or after January 1, 2003 and on or before December 31, 2005” to compete. “Following a thorough assessment of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent recommendations made by the FIFA-Confederations COVID-19 Working Group, the Bureau of the FIFA Council has taken the decision to confirm the proposed new tournament dates, subject to further monitoring,” the FIFA said in a statement.
The tournament will be held at five venues in the country — Kolkata, Guwahati, Bhubaneswar, Ahmedabad and Navi Mumbai — and competed among 16 teams, with hosts India being automatic qualifiers in what will be the country’s maiden appearance in the U-17 Women’s World Cup. Promptly reacting to the development, Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju assured full cooperation and support to the tournament. “I assure full cooperation and support to make it a grand success,” Rijiju tweeted.
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) president Praful Patel, under whose leadership the country successfully hosted the men’s U-17 World Cup in 2017, promised an encore. “Delighted to share the new dates for the U17WWC, which will now be held between Feb 17 to Mar 7, 2021. I would like to thank all our stakeholders for their continuous support over this period. AIFF & LOC remain committed to delivering a historic tournament,” Patel tweeted. (PTI)
