FIFA U-17 World Cup 2017: Mamata Banerjee launches ‘Host City Logo’

"The FIFA president will be our state guest. This was decided in the meeting today," Mamata Bannerjee said. "We are really grateful to host this major tournament here. We are proud and deeply honoured to host such a tournament."

Mamata Banerjee with FIFA U-17 World Cup tournament director Javier Ceppi.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday launched the Host City Logo for Kolkata, the venue of the final of FIFA U-17 World Cup India 2017 and announced that the FIFA president Gianni Infantino will be their ‘state guest’ during the visit.

The iconic Vivekanand Yuva Bharati Krirangan will host ten matches in October including the final. Mamata said after the launch of the logo, “The FIFA president will be our state guest. This was decided in the meeting today,” Mamata said. “We are really grateful to host this major tournament here. We are proud and deeply honoured to host such a tournament.”

Tournament director Javier Ceppi, who was also present at the launch, said about the Salt Lake Stadium, “The facilities have been hugely renovated and if you haven’t visited the stadium in one and a half years and go now, you will not recognise the stadium.”

“It is a world class facility at this point of time. We are now waiting for the hand over of the venue, likely on September 10,” the Chilean said. “We are extremely pleased to announce Kolkata as the first city to launch the host city logo today. It’s a momentous occasion. It is for the first time that a city has been connected to a FIFA tournament through it’s distinguished image. We are extremely happy that this is happening in Kolkata which will
also be hosting the FIFA headquarters, referees’ headquarters, the international broadcasting centre and it is the city from which the most tickets have been sold.

“So we hope that Salt Lake stadium will be full. We appreciate the support of the state government to project Kolkata as a sporting capital of India, as a sporting capital of Asia and hopefully as a sporting capital of the world,” added Ceppi.