New Delhi, Nov 13 (IANS): India are not favourably placed to bid for the hosting rights of FIFA 2017-18 Club World Cup, All India Football Federation (AIFF) general secretary Kushal Das admitted here Thursday.
FIFA will name the host for the 2017-18 editions of the tournament at its executive committee meeting in December in Morocco. India are yet to bid for the hosting rights for the event.
"It’s probably a little difficult to bid for the hosting rights. We will talk to FIFA regarding this,” Das said on the sidelines of AIFF’s technical collaboration tie-up with Brazilian club Atletico Paranaense for the Under-17 team here Thursday.
“The commercial commitments and infrastructure required to host such an event are very huge. I don’t know if we are in a position to do it,” Das said.
Buoyed by FIFA’s decision to award the right to host the 2017 Under-17 World Cup to India, the AIFF was preparing an ambitious bid to host the Club World Cup.
But Das said that after considering all parameters involved, coupled with the requirements demanded by FIFA and the cost involved, AIFF was contemplating revising its earlier thinking.
AIFF president Praful Patel had earlier declared that India will not only bid for the 2017-18 Club World Cup but also place its bid for the Under-20 World Cup.