LIMA: Peru became the second country in recent weeks to be stripped of the right to host a FIFA tournament, after the governing body on Monday said the South American nation had failed to fulfil infrastructure commitments ahead of the under-17 World Cup.
FIFA said the U-17 tournament is still set to take place from Nov 10-Dec 2, adding that its Council will designate a new host.
“The move was made given the inability of the host country to fulfil its commitments to completing the infrastructure required to stage the tournament,” FIFA said in a statement.
“Despite a very positive working relationship between FIFA and the Peruvian Football Federation (FPF), it has been determined that there is now not sufficient time to secure the required investment and complete the necessary work with the Peruvian government ahead of the tournament start date.
“FIFA would like to express its thanks to the FPF for their efforts, and remains open to organising a competition in Peru in the future.”
Indonesia was stripped of its hosting rights for the Under-20 World Cup last month, following outrage among some politicians in the predominantly Muslim nation about Israel’s participation.
Both tournaments were initially scheduled to take place in 2021, but were moved to 2023 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Published in Dawn, April 4th, 2023
