FAS to bid for 2019 FIFA Youth World Cup

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http://www.todayonline.com/sports/football/fas-bid-2019-fifa-youth-world-cup

The FIFA U-17 or U-20 World Cup could be held in Singapore in 2019, if the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) has its way.

The association announced at its Annual General Meeting yesterday that it is planning to put in a bid for either tournament after receiving a favourable response from FIFA following its technical experts’ recent inspection of existing stadiums in Singapore. Both biennial tournaments are held in the same years, and the hosts are traditionally announced two years beforehand.

At the just-concluded U-20 competition held in Turkey from June 21 to July 13, seven stadiums were used. The U-17 version in Mexico two years ago had the same number of arenas. But unlike the huge crowds that the World Cup for national squads attract, the youth versions usually draw crowds of up to 7,000, with only the knock-out stages pulling larger numbers.

FAS General Secretary Winston Lee said that apart from the Sports Hub, the Jalan Besar and Bishan Stadiums are among the targeted venues the FIFA experts have seen that will have to be upgraded, if the association’s bid is successful.

Said Mr Lee: “They are very happy with the Sports Hub. We need regional stadiums and we have spoken with the Singapore Sports Council to explore how they can be upgraded.”

Mr Lee said the cost of hosting the event is being worked out and more details will be made known later.

For now, the FAS is working to get more sponsors on board for the many programmes it is planning over the next few years, including reviving the Merlion Cup, which was last held in 2009. In the last few months, it has netted EPSON and AirAsia as sponsors.