That the Indian capital New Delhi has a smog problem is known generally, but now that problem could take away the capital’s chance of hosting knockout match(es) during the upcoming 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup from October 6 to 28.
Speaking to the Indian Express, the tournament director for the local organising committee, Javier Ceppi, said, “The match schedule is not finalised yet. One of the reasons for that is the pollution. And pollution in Delhi is a serious concern… particularly after Diwali. We all know this.”
“Until Diwali, October is decent, you can play. But after Diwali, it (pollution) shoots to a level that is extremely, extremely unhealthy. So would that mean that it may risk the capacity of Delhi hosting ‘marquee matches’ or further into the tournament? We don’t know yet,” Ceppi added.
“That (pollution) is one thing we can’t really control, no matter what different measures are taken. You cannot reduce pollution from one day to the next, to the amount that it would need to be reduced for hosting games. It will certainly be a factor when we are considering the schedule and allocation of matches, particularly in Delhi. Because in that sense, Delhi is the one that raises the most concern,” Ceppi ended by saying.
And New Delhi’s loss could be the gain for the five other 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup venues across India – Kolkata, Navi Mumbai, Goa, Kochi and Guwahati with any of the other venues set to host the additional knockout matches.