FIFA on Monday shifted the under-17 World Cup semifinal match between England and Brazil, scheduled to be played at Guwahati on October 25, here.
According to a statement, the match was shifted “following a thorough assessment of the pitch conditions at Guwahati’s Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, which has been affected by severe rainfall over the past few days.”
Now the semifinal will be played at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan here, where the match will kick off at 5 p.m. on October 25.
“Despite great efforts by all involved parties, including the authorities of Guwahati, to preserve the pitch, FIFA has taken this decision following consultations with both teams in order to safeguard the players’ health and to ensure the best playing conditions.”
Fans with a valid ticket for the semifinal, originally planned to take place in Guwahati, will be able to request a refund for the purchase value of their tickets and will also have priority access to purchase tickets for the semifinal in Kolkata.
Tickets for the rescheduled semifinal match in Kolkata was available online on the ticketing section of FIFA.com (http://tickets.india2017wc.com) from Monday.
All purchasable tickets for this fixture here were priced at Rs. 100 each and would be made available on a first come first served basis.
“FIFA and the LOC (local organising committee) regret that unforeseen circumstances have led to this decision, which will deprive football fans in Guwahati of this semifinal encounter. Both FIFA and the LOC would like to sincerely thank the city of Guwahati and the state government of Assam for their excellent cooperation throughout the competition,” said the statement.
