UAE Football Stadiums Get Green Light Ahead Of U17 World Cup

FIFA "remains optimistic" the upcoming U17 World Cup "will be an operational success," however it warned that "there is still work to be done before the tournament kicks off this month," according to John McAuely of THE NATIONAL. FIFA’s inspection team on Tuesday completed its final assessment of the six venues chosen to stage the three-week event, with Dubai’s Rashid Stadium the last of the sites examined. FIFA Deputy Dir of Competitions Inaki Alvarez said that all six host venues -- Abu Dhabi’s Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium, Rashid Stadium, the Sheikh Khalifa Int'l Stadium in Al Ain, Sharjah Stadium and one each in Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah -- "require some finessing, from the preparation of training pitches to the installation of IT infrastructure." Alvarez "expects each site to be '100 per cent complete' within the next three to five days," in preparation for the arrival of FIFA’s delegates later this week. The teams arrive Sunday (THE NATIONAL, 10/8).