Salt Lake renovation on track: Ceppi

KOLKATA: The Salt Lake Stadium, which is getting ready to host the FIFA U-17 World Cup in October, will be almost ready for the youth showpiece by the end of March when the FIFA delegation visits for another round of inspection, tournament director Javier Ceppi said here on Thursday.

"I am extremely satisfied with the progress of the stadium," IANS quoted Ceppi as telling reporters, after a recce of the under-construction colossal venue, which after renovation will have a capacity of 87,000 spectators.

"We have to realise that the stadium is huge. So works here take time, but the amount of progress that we have seen from three weeks till now has been fantastic," Ceppi, who touches down in the eastern metropolis almost every month to take stock of the progress, said.

"Everything is on track. Because of the dimensions of the stadia it would not have been possible to complete work by 31st of January. Stadium will be completed well in time for the World Cup. By the next FIFA inspection in March, we would see 90-95% completion," Ceppi remarked.

Aroop Biswas, the state Youth Services and Sports minister had said that by January 31 the stadium would be ready.

Asked about the ticket prices, Ceppi said: "The prices will be lesser than a movie ticket. I can say that one would be able to watch a World Cup match for less than Rs.100.”

Ceppi vouched that the turf does not need international friendly matches before the World Cup to test the turf as other areas are much more of a concern than the playing surface.

"You can do training on the turf and that's how you test the turf. The testing of the venue has much less to do with the ground and more about say how the media facilities work, how the flow of people work," he said

The U-17 World Cup, the sport's third most important tournament globally and the most high-profile football event the country is hosting, will he held across six cities - New Delhi, Kolkata, Guwahati, Margao, Kochi and Navi Mumbai - from October 6 to 28.

As many as 24 teams, including hosts India, will take part in the tournament which will have 52 matches and played before an expected global audience of over 200 million in 200 countries.