FIFA U-17 World Cup: Indian Team Banking On Hope And Crowd Support Versus USA

Indian footballing history will be made at 8 pm sharp on Friday as the country will make its FIFA Under-17 World Cup debut at the showpiece Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here in New Delhi with a match against the formidable USA.

There will be more pressure on these bright Indian teenagers than their counterparts in the American team as it is the highest grade of football they would be playing in their fledgling careers. To hold their nerves will be the key for the Indian players. On the other hand, the USA team will be making a record-sharing 16th appearance in the tournament. That says a lot about the gap between the two teams, though it remains to be seen how both actually fare under the bright floodlights of the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, which was built for the 1982 Asian Games.

Despite the inexperience of the Indian players, their big advantage is that they have nothing to lose. Therefore, if they play with that in mind, they would be able to express themselves fully. India’s other opponents in Group A are Colombia and Ghana.

The Indian team, captained by midfielder Amarjit Singh Kiyam, will be hugely banking on home advantage and spectators’ support – and so is coach their Portuguese coach India U-17 coach Luis Norton de Matos, whose grandfather was born in Goa.

“Just as history shows, a team can defeat stronger opponents with determination. One hundred organised, victory-driven and fearless men can defeat 1,000 enemies. Just as Mahatma Gandhi said ‘Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will’,” says de Matos.

The 24-team World Cup, whose slogan 'Football Takes Over' has been splashed all across Delhi, will be held in the six cities -- New Delhi, Goa, Kochi, Guwahati, Kolkata and Navi Mumbai. The 17^th edition of FIFA Under-17 World Cup comprises 52 matches. The final will be played in Kolkata on October 28.

The All India Football Federation (AIFF), with help from FIFA, is trying its best to fill the 58,000-seat stadium -- the fourth largest multi-purpose stadium in India and the 51st largest in the world. For that purpose, thousands of complimentary tickets are being distributed for India’s matches.

According to FIFA, tickets are priced at Rs 800 (Category 1), Rs 400 (Category 2), Rs 200 (Category 3) and Rs 80 (Category 4), and will be sold in four phases. They are:

Phase 1: 16 May to 7 July: Only tickets in Categories 1 to 3 at all stadiums are available. Tickets in Category 4 are not on sale. Only venue-specific packages can be purchased. There is a 60 per cent discount.

Phase 2: 7 to 21 July 2017 (individual visa pre-sale): Individual match tickets can be purchased in all categories. This offer is reserved exclusively for Visa cardholders. There is a 50 per cent discount.

Phase 3: 21 July to 5 October (individual discount): Individual match tickets can be purchased in all categories. There is a 25 per cent discount on all individual tickets.

Phase 4: 6 to 28 October (individual sales during the tournament): Only full-price individual tickets for the relevant match-day can be purchased during this phase.

The Indian squad:

Goal-keepers: Dheeraj Singh, Prabhsukhan Gill, Sunny Dhaliwal

Defenders: Boris Singh, Jitendra Singh, Anwar Ali, Sanjeev Stalin, Hendry Antonay, Namit Deshpande

Midfielders: Suresh Singh, Ninthoinganba Meetei, Amarjit Singh Kiyam (captain), Abhijit Sarkar, Komal Thatal, Lalengmawia, Jeakson Singh, Nongdamba Naorem, Rahul Kannoly Praveen, Mohammed Shahjahan

Forwards: Rahim Ali, Aniket Jadhav