India now a football country: FIFA

FIFA president Gianni Infantino referred to India as a “football country” moments after arriving in the city to chair the FIFA Council meeting to be held today and attend the U-17 World Cup final.Asked about the successful organisation of the U-17 World Cup, the 47-year-old, clad in a dark suit, said, “Thank you very much all the Indians. That’s most important. It’s a great pleasure to here.”Meanwhile, FIFA head of events Jaime Yarza yesterday said the fans of the India edition of the FIFA U-17 World Cup have been the competition’s biggest legacy and the country has hosted a successful event.“One of the biggest legacy is the internal knowledge of the FIFA recognising that people have come in such big numbers, young people. That the girls were watching the league...they put football in front,” Yarza told reporters at the wrap-up press conference here. “I think this is one of the biggest ever seen. This is what is going to stick to the country in the next tournament.“The whole world has witnessed this enthusiasm. We had 113 channels broadcasting the matches in 187 countries. This is the whole world basically. The whole world has seen that India is a footballing nation.”Just two games remain with the third-place clash between Brazil and Mali, and the final between England and Spain to be played at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan tomorrow at 5pm and 8pm respectively.“The figures speak of themselves, it is going to be the most attended U-17 World Cup. On the field, the matches were of high quality, played in high speed and technically also it was of high class. It has been a fantastic tournament and India has delivered it. It shows that India is a football nation in every sense,” Yarza said.