SAN FRANCISCO, December 25, (THEWILL) – World football governing body, FIFA, on Thursday cancelled the 2021 editions of the men’s Under-20 World Cup and Under-17 World Cup, due to the continued impact of COVID-19 on sports and travel.
In a statement published on its website, FIFA said that the next edition will be held in 2023 at the venues that were scheduled to host the 2021 events.
By implication, any chance of the Golden Eaglets gunning for international glory next year has been squashed. The young boys who have been preparing for the U-17 AFCON qualifiers in Abuja for weeks under coach Fatai Amoo, will have to head home unfulfilled and crestfallen. This is as similar a fate as befell the Flamingoes, their female counterparts after FIFA axed their competition as well.
Consequently, next month’s U-17 AFCON in Benin Republic will also suffer a similar fate as there will be no need for the competition for now.
A part of the statement FIFA released read:
“The COVID-19 pandemic continues to present challenges for the hosting of international sporting events and to have a restrictive effect on international travel.
“FIFA has therefore regularly consulted the relevant stakeholders, including the host member associations as well as the confederations involved in both tournaments originally scheduled to take place in 2021.
It further added that: “In doing so, it became clear that the global situation has failed to normalise to a sufficient level to address the challenges associated with hosting both tournaments, including the feasibility of the relevant qualification pathways.”
The men’s U-20 World Cup was to be hosted in Indonesia while the U-17 World Cup was to be hosted in Peru. Both countries will now prepare for 2023.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
