A visiting Fifa delegation on Friday expressed satisfaction at the preparedness of the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi as a venue for the upcoming Under-17 World Cup, reported IANS.
“We commend the excellent work done by Kerala and since this is a very big event every aspect has to be taken care of,” said Javier Ceppi, the tournament director of the tournament. “Due to security issues, the third tier of the stadium will not be used as it will not be possible to evacuate the entire stadium in eight minutes. Nothing can be done as the stadium has been constructed in that way, so we will not be using that area.”
According to Outlook India, Ceppi added, “At this point of time, we are happy to say that Kochi is a World Cup venue.”
The stadium will have a limited capacity of 41,748 due to security concerns. The report also quoted Mohammed Hanish, a senior bureaucrat who had been entrusted by the state governement to oversee preparations, as saying that the the organisers had been able to meet almost all the requirements asked of them.
This news will come as music to football fans in Kochi after Fifa officials expressed concerns over preparations in March.