Guwahati: AIFF President Kalyan Chaubey and Secretary General Dr. Shaji Prabhakaran met with Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday in order to discuss Bhubaneswar’s preparedness as one of the venues for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup India 2022.
The two AIFF executives also met with Sports Odisha Secretary Vineel Krishna in order to discuss the infrastructure services that the city of Bhubaneswar will be offering to the teams competing in the World Cup. They spoke extensively about Bhubaneswar’s preparation as one of the three locations for the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup and praised Vineel Krishna and the Chief Minister for their ongoing support of Indian football.
“Bhubaneswar looks well prepared to host the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup India 2022. Extremely happy to visit our U-17 Women’s Team at Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) campus and interact with the girls and coaching staff who are preparing for a historic appearance in the World Cup,” Chaubey said.
“Meeting Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik gave me the opportunity to thank him personally for the great support his government is extending to football in general, and for hosting the U-17 Women’s World Cup in particular,” he further said.
According to Prabhakaran, the trip to Odisha provided the chance to speak with all of the state’s football stakeholders. “Our goal is to further develop and broaden our collaboration between the Government of Odisha and the AIFF,” the statement reads.
Upon their arrival in Cuttack, Chaubey and Prabhakaran also received congratulations from the Football Association of Odisha (FAO), for which they were very appreciative.
“It was an extremely productive visit to Odisha and I would like to express my appreciation to the office bearers of FAO for facilitating us in Cuttack and providing an opportunity to meet with all stakeholders,” said the AIFF President.
“FAO is working actively in developing football and through FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup. There is a great opportunity for Odisha to grow in stature as one of the prominent destinations for women’s football in India,” Prabhakaran said.
The AIFF President and Secretary General were also felicitated by KIIT Founder Achyuta Samanta, a release said.
The Chief Minister, Kalyan Chaubey, Shaji Prabhakaran, Vineel Krishna, and Achyuta Samanta also met the India U-17 Women’s Team players and officials, in order to inspire them ahead of their big campaign.