Sunil Chhetri hopes India will utilize the popularity generated by FIFA U-17 WC

Last month’s successful hosting of the Under-17 World Cup also marked the first time an Indian team had matched its wits on the FIFA stage. The joy was compounded by the record attendance by the people. The eventual aggregate for the 52 matches was 1,347,133, a record for a FIFA junior World Cup. A staggering 66,684 crammed into the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata to watch England beat Spain in a memorable final. 

Overwhelmed by that, the skipper of the Indian national football team, Sunil Chhetri, is hoping that India can use this popularity in its favor.

“Massive, the kind of popularity, the kind of interest generated (about football) by the World Cup is massive, I hope we build on it. It is one thing to have a tournament and more important thing to build on it, so I just hope as a nation we build on it,” he told reporters on sidelines of the Indian Sports Honours held in Mumbai as quoted by PTI.

India successfully hosted the FIFA U-17 World Cup last month, with games being played at six cities and Kolkata hosting the final. The success of the tournament has inspired the AIFF to bid for hosting rights for the 2020 Under-20 and 2021 FIFA Club World Cup.