New Delhi: With just about 40 days remaining for the U-17 World Cup to kick start here in India, the tour of the trophy across the host cities has already began with a bang. The first showcase of the FIFA U-17 World Cup at the India Gate got a staggering response from the fans, as more than 2.5 lakh people turned up just to get a glimpse of the shining trophy which will be presented to the winner of the upcoming FIFA U-17 World Cup.
The 49.5cm trophy was manufactured by Thomas Fattorini Ltd. in 2004 and weighs 4.56kgs. This will be the 17th edition of the World Cup and it was first put to display at the Dhyan Chand National Stadium on Saturday before it was taken to the iconic India Gate on Sunday.
The silverware will be put to display in the six host cities which are set to hold the World Cup matches. The venues are namely, New Delhi, Chennai, Pune, Mumbai, Margao, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Kochi, Guwahati and Navi Mumbai.
This is the first time that India will be hosting a FIFA tournament as big as the U-17 World Cup and Project Director of the Local Organising Committee, Joy Bhattacharjya who was present at the occasion said, “The trophy experience is not only for the hardcore football fans. It’s an attempt to bring together everyone in the country to sit up and take notice of what I believe will be a game-changer in Indian sports.”
Talking about the reaction of the people on seeing the glittering trophy and also their experiences, he said that, “What I saw was very encouraging thus – people walked in with their families, seemed to have a good time but more importantly for us, got educated about the event and even bought some tickets for the India games in the city.”
The trophy is next set of be displayed at the ADIDAS stores in Connaught and also the Sansad Marg Branch of Bank of Baroda in the next couple of days and Bhattachariya earnestly urges people to visit and get a life-time experience of seeing the most coveted trophy of a footballer, as “it will be an experience like no other.”
Javier Ceppi, tournament director of the World Cup was also quoted as saying, “It’s been a fantastic start to the trophy experience. We have had over 200,000 people in Delhi who have had the opportunity to see the FIFA U-17 World Cup.”
“This is a massive promotional push and we’ve done it in a space that is extremely significant. India Gate is a landmark that resonates well because it honours heroes of India and we feel that people have responded quite nicely to it,” he added.
The first-leg was definitely successful as people flocked in huge numbers to pose with the trophy and the official mascot for the campaign. The trophy will next be taken on a tour to Guwahati, where it will be put out to display on 26th and 27th of August at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium and the Judge’s Field.
The FIFA U-17 World Cup is set to begin from 6th of October to the 28th of October. 24 teams from across the globe would take part in the tournament with an aim to achieve the ultimate glory.
The places where the trophy would be taken this week-
August 21 – ADIDAS stores in CP and Ambience Mall, Gurgaon
August 22 – Bank of Baroda, Sansad Marg Branch
August 26 – IGAI Stadium, Guwahati
August 27 – Judge’s Field, Guwahati