22 May 2009Stadium problems for FIFA under-17 World Cup

Football Technology and Stadia

The upcoming FIFA under-17 World Cup may have to be cancelled because of problems with some of the stadiums in Nigeria, it has been revealed.

FIFA vice president Jack Warner has stated that only two venues are close to being ready from the nine candidates for the event, which is scheduled to go ahead between October 24th and November 15th this year.

However, Warner has proposed that a "grace period" takes place, giving the stadiums in Enugu, Calabar, Kano and Ijebu-Ode the chance to improve to the required standard.

So far, only Abuja's National Stadium and Lagos' Teslim Balogun Stadium are deemed to be suitable to host the tournament.

Warner said at a press conference: "Frankly, from an objective point of view, Nigeria is not ready to host the tournament.

"I will propose to the FIFA Executive Committee when they meet on May 30th to 31st in Nassau that we give Nigeria a one month ‘grace period' for six venues to build on the signs of hope and commitment we have seen."

Nigeria won the last under-17 World Cup, which was held in South Korea in 2007.

Written by Mark Thompson

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