In an announcement made today, FIFA and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) confirmed the participation of FIFA Legends Esteban Cambiasso and Nwankwo Kanu along with Indian sporting icons Sunil Chhetri and PV Sindhu at the Official Draw for the FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 which is scheduled on July 7.
Kanu was a member of the Nigerian national team and later captained the Eagles for 16 years from 1994 until 2010 and Cambiasso is an Argentine footballer who plays for Greek club Olympiacos as a midfielder. The iconic duo are no strangers to the FIFA U-17 World Cup. Kanu held the Winner’s Trophy aloft with Nigeria’s Super Eaglets in 1993 while Argentina’s great Cambiasso participated in the 1995 edition.
The Nigerian forward, Kanu won Olympic gold in 1996, was twice chosen as African Player of the Year, and played for the Super Eagles at the 1998, 2002 and 2010 editions of the FIFA World Cup.
The Argentine Midfielder, Cambiasso, on the other hand, won the FIFA U-20 World Cup 1997 and was part of Argentina’s team at the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
Speaking about the U-17 World Cup as a foundation tournament for the Junior Footballers, Nwankwo Kanu said, “The FIFA U-17 World Cup 1993 really spurred my career – within years of winning the title, I won the Olympic gold and from there as I would like to believe, there wasn’t any looking back. This tournament provides youngsters the necessary stage for development and I believe this year’s edition will provide us all with exceptional talent – much like the previous tournaments.”
The two iconic footballers will be joined by local legends Sunil Chhetri and PV Sindhu, who will take part as draw assistants. Chhetri is India’s national football team captain and all-time top goalscorer for India. PV Sindhu, on the other hand is an icon in herself and one of India’s finest athletes at the moment who made waves after winning the Olympic silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics, becoming the youngest Indian to make a podium finish in an individual event at the Olympics.
The draw on 7 July will also be attended by officials from the participating teams and the Host Cities.