Ras Al Khaimah: A delegation from Fifa praised the level of preparation carried out by Ras Al Khaimah for the upcoming Under-17 Fifa World Cup, scheduled to be held from October 17 to November 8.
The delegation, headed by Inaki Alvarez, Fifa’s director for competitions, is performing a series of inspection visits that will cover Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Sharjah, Fujairah, Ras Al Khaimah and Al Ain in order to follow up on preparations undertaken for the competition. Mohammad Abdullah Bin Bdoua, tournament director and other senior officials were also present.
Alvarez and his delegation were received upon their arrival by officials of the Group B organising committee and viewed a presentation that detailed the level of preparations achieved by the group. Adel Abdul Rahman, coordinator of the Local Organising Committee (LOC), briefed the delegation on facilities provided by the stadium such as the locker rooms, medical centre, control room, drug testing laboratories, VIP lounge and others.
After the presentation, a number of officials and coordinators from the Local Organising Committee (LOC) of Ras Al Khaimah briefed the Fifa delegation on the operation of various units. Alvarez, accompanied by Bin Bdoua, toured the Emirates Stadium and expressed his satisfaction with the level of preparation apart from providing a few notes on improvements that must be made regarding the locker rooms as well as some other minute details.
A total of 24 teams, including hosts the UAE, will take part in the event which has spawned many a star in the past. The UAE has been drawn with Brazil, Honduras and Slovakia in Group A.
The LOC surprised Alvarez by presenting him with a cake to celebrate his birthday.
