Abu Dhabi: Fifa has hailed the UAE for its success in hosting the Under-17 World Cup and remarked that the 2013 edition of the tournament sets a tough benchmark for Chile in 2015.
“We thank the UAE for the great success achieved on and off the field and, in particular, in the hospitable reception and comfortable stay for the guests and for providing all necessary facilities for the event to succeed,” Rafeal Salguero, the Chairman of the Fifa Organising Committee, told a press conference at Abu Dhabi’s Fairmont Hotel on Wednesday.
“I believe this success will represent a tough challenge for our friends in Chile when they organise the next version of the competition in 2015.
“On behalf of the Fifa president [Sepp Blatter] and its members, we thank the UAE, the government and its people for this success.
“I also believe the teams have shown high standards and have played thrilling and exciting matches. Hopefully the final between Nigeria and Mexico will come as a great finale for the competition.
“We have received reports from the chairmen of all Fifa sub-committees regarding the organisation and I am happy to say all the reports were positive and praise the organisation and infrastructure, especially the grounds and hotels.
“The technical reports show great improvement from the previous tournaments and the players have provided great tactical discipline and knowledge of the game. We are happy and satisfied with the technical improvement of the game, which was proved by the reports conducted by experts and will be distributed to the member associations within three months to help them upgrade the sector of the juniors who represent the future of the game,” Salguero added.
Tournament director Mohammad Bin Bdoua said: “Famous European clubs have already targeted a number of players and have started negotiating with them following their outstanding performances.
“I would like to thank the members of the Fifa Organising Committee for their support, cooperation and help for us to achieve this success, which will encourage us to apply for bigger Fifa tournaments in the near future.”
