Infrastructure
The biggest plus point from winning this bid will certainly be the improvement in infrastructure. As per the bid, eight cities – New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Margao, Kochi, Pune and Guwahati – are in line to be the venues of the tournament, with six of them to be selected eventually, and thus the stadiums in all those regions are expected to have refurbishment. That will include work on not only the playing pitches but also other facilities like dressing rooms, warmup rooms, stands, toilets, floodlights etc. Each city would also require top quality training venues something which many of the I-League centres also doesn’t have. In fact, as of now, none of the I-League stadiums are fit to host any international tournament and the poor facilities always discourages a lot of people from attending the matches. By 2017, India could and should have better football stadiums and even training facilities. IMG-Reliance will also contribute in this aspect for their proposed Indian Super League and eventually this will benefit the I-League clubs and players and of course the fans who also crave for better facilities. This potential improvement in infrastructure will keep India in contention of hosting more international tournaments in the future like the Club World Cup, Asian Cup etc.
Youth development
The lack of a proper youth development program has haunted Indian football for many years but with an aim of changing that scenario, two FIFA – AIFF academies were launched last year and a couple more are expected to start soon. Winning this bid will give the Indian federation further incentive to take football at grassroots level even more seriously. Some of the boys of the under-14 group in the AIFF regional academy in Goa could form the nucleus of the side that plays in this tournament and more boys of that age category will be scouted all around the country. Being the hosts, India will have to develop a very competitive team keeping in mind that there shouldn’t be any age fraud which still remains a problem in many junior tournaments. A good showing in the 2017 under-17 World Cup will encourage the AIFF to give importance to youth development even beyond the tournament. While Lakshya 2022 remains the current masterplan for Indian football, the U-17 World Cup could mark the start of an era where the Indian football fraternity sees youth development as a necessity and not something that is there just to obey rules.
Government involvement
For a long time even the submission of India’s bid looked uncertain with FIFA also rejecting the first bid back in January due to AIFF’s failure of getting certain assurances from the government. Those assurances include written guarantees on tax exemptions for broadcasters and sponsors, foreign exchange remittances, security, transport and accommodation of players, and visa, among others. But thankfully all assurances were granted by the government and the bid was submitted just before the deadline last month. Even the emblem of FIFA was granted legal protection, a privilege which even the ICC (International Cricket Council) doesn’t enjoy. Now with India winning the bid, the hope is that the government will get more involved with not only the preparation of the tournament but the sport overall. Considering the vastness of our country, it’s impossible to pull of an international event without the help of the government and even governments of the states that comprise the selected venues will also have to work actively in the tournament’s build-up. With the country being embarrassed in the lead up to the 2010 Commonwealth Games, one can expect the government to be more involved and serious this time around.
Global recognition
India is widely recognised as a sleeping giant by FIFA but still world football’s governing body has always been very supportive keeping in mind the country’s enormous population. Perhaps that sympathetic stand played a part in India winning the bid and that has given them the perfect chance to show the world that they are capable of hosting an international football tournament. In the recent past India has been the centre of various commercial projects of European football clubs like soccer schools or football clinics but in four years’ time they will host some of the best future talents of world football. There is no dearth of passion for the beautiful game and that has been acknowledged by greats such as Pele, Oliver Kahn, Diego Maradona and Lionel Messi following their visits to the country. But hosting a World cup, albeit the under-17 version, will require much more than just passion. Proper planning, professionalism, requisite personnel are some of the necessary ingredients. Many will question India’s ability of eventually hosting the competition and thus this is AIFF’s chance to prove those critics wrong and get global recognition.
Revolution
I-League clubs might have opposed the proposed India Super League but none can ignore the tournament’s potential to raise the profile of the sport if it’s successful. The new league certainly stands a better chance of attracting the attention of the masses because of the presence of several renowned stars. The under-17 world cup can contribute in a similar and perhaps a better way. Seeing India in the World Cup is the common dream of every football fan (even the ones who mainly follow European club football). So even if it’s only the under-17 version, watching Indians brush shoulders with a future Messi, Ronaldo or Ribery would act as a motivation for thousands of budding footballers and even the ones who may not be eligible to play in the tournament. Because of the lack of financial prospects in Indian football currently, kids are never encouraged to consider the sport as their profession. But that could change with this U-17 World Cup as interest in the game will rise and it could open the door for more sponsors and corporates to invest in the sport. Although it won’t exactly be of the stature of the 1983 cricket World Cup triumph, ‘India 2017’ will bring a certain revolution that Indian football needed. Let’s hope that the people concerned make the most of it.
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