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The FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup begins in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday, (today) and for India and the All India Football Federation (AIFF), it has been a long journey to get to this point.
India were initially awarded the right to host the U-17 Women’s World Cup in 2020, but COVID-19 wreaked havoc and the tournament was postponed by a year before it was eventually cancelled.
The Nigerian team known as Flamingos will face Germany today by 4 pm Nigerian time.
Despite their pedigree in the game, both teams have never won the cadet World Cup, and they will have high hopes of rewriting the record books in India.
Check out some simple facts and happenings before the October 11 start of the tournament.
March 2019: FIFA picks India as the host of the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup 2020 ahead of France. The tournament is initially scheduled to be held in 2020 from November 2 to 21.
November 2019: Former Super Falcons coach, Thomas Dennerby of Sweden is appointed as the head coach of the India U-17 women’s team.
November 2019: Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), which runs the Indian Super League (ISL), conducts the U-17 Women’s Championship. The tournament features 73 players who are split into four teams. This is used as another opportunity for scouting players for the World Cup.
December 2019: AIFF hosts a three-nation tournament at the Mumbai Football Arena, where India finished runners-up to Sweden, after beating Thailand in the group stage of the tournament.
April 2020: FIFA announces that the U-17 Women’s World Cup will be postponed and rescheduled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
May 2020: FIFA announces that the tournament will be held from February 17 to March 7, 2021, subject to monitoring of the pandemic situation.
November 2020: FIFA says that the 2020 edition will be cancelled. However, India retains the hosting rights for the next edition of the tournament in 2022. The age limits of the eligible players are adjusted accordingly, which means that the players scouted for the 2020 World Cup had to be let go.
March 2022: 35 players are summoned to a camp in Jamshedpur, with then assistant coach Alex Ambrose, who was later sacked due to alleged sexual misconduct.
Among the 35, Shilky Devi was already a part of the senior team for the AFC Asian Cup 2022, while Astam Oraon, Nitu Linda, and Lynda Kom are selected for the SAFF U-19 Championship 2021 which took place in Bangladesh in December 2021.
April 2022: A bulk of the players initially scouted ahead of the 2020 Women’s U-17 World Cup turnout for the Indian Arrows in the Indian Women’s League.
June 2022: After their preparatory camp in Jamshedpur, Dennerby’s team participates in the 6th Torneo Female Football Tournament, along with hosts Italy, Mexico, and Chile. India concede 12 and score just one goal in the tournament.
June 2022: India depart to Europe to play in the Open Nordic tournament in Norway. Here, alleged sexual misconduct allegations on assistant coach Ambrose come to surface and he is sent back to India.
July 2022: Dr. SY Quraishi, head of the three-member Committee of Administrators, which was running Indian football puts out a tweet confirming the sacking of Ambrose.
August 2022: FIFA lifts the suspension on India, making way for the country to host the World Cup. The decision is taken after the Supreme Court of India dismantles the CoA and the day-to-day management of AIFF is led by the Acting Secretary General of the board.
September – October 2022: The final leg of preparations for the World Cup sees the team training in Barcelona. They play against Sweden and lose 1-3, before a 17-1 win against WSS Barcelona to round off their tours before the big tournament.
October 2022:
AIFF announces a 21-member squad for the 2022 FIFA Women’s U-17 World Cup.