They have a passion for football as sixty percent of the U17 team are from the North East. "
said, "The Guwahati government has give us unconditional support so that s why there is a semi final there. They have a passion for football as sixty percent of the U17 team are from the North East."
The draw of the tournament will held on July 7.
Asked about the criteria for selection of venues for the marquee matches, Yarza said, "A lot of names were considered.
Many things were taken into account. Of course the city's legacy was one of them. But that is less relevant.
"The most important thing is the infrastructure. We want to make sure they have a top level stadium in place where the clubs can play, the regional federation can play. The main aim is 'Mission 11-million," he added.
He termed this event to be one of the most challenging World Cups as there were a lot of issues initially, especially logistical.
"Well it is true it is one of the most challenging world Cups we have ever done. This is why the satisfaction for this will be higher when this is over. From the beginning there was the need to touch the soul of the young people of India with additional activities and we just did not take it as a World Cup. There has been a lot of logistical challenges.
"These are one of the most tiring inspection visits we have ever done. We believe there is a revolution happening here. This is not just a World Cup, this is the development of football for almost 500 million kids in India. We really hope that when the final is played, no matter who wins football will be the winner."
Yarza further gave a detailed update on the FIFA team's visit to the rest of the five cities and said Kochi has the biggest concern and it's been given a May 15 deadline.
"They need to buck up to comply with the requirements.
Also a big problem with the stores surrounding the stadium. We are still believing in Kochi and the authorities to make it happen. We have given them till May 15 to finalise the preparation.
"The situation is not as bad as it was a year before. But we are concerned. The renovation needs to take a completely different rhythm. There might be a Plan B applied in the future but right now we are counting with Kochi as one of the venues of the World Cup." More
(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)
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